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Has YouTube Taken Over Mainstream TV For News?

Esperanza Squire
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Has YouTube Taken Over Mainstream TV For News?

It’s not so hard to remember a time before YouTube, where only a handful of channels held all the cards, and all the attention. The advent of 5G, the ease of internet connectivity, and the continued prominence of a portable and remote lifestyle has skewed public attention to the internet for all aspects of our daily lives.

This is especially true in the news-sphere, where the days of mainstream media viewership dwindling more and more with each passing year, and the popularity and utility of internet platforms like YouTube becoming more engrained into our daily lives as a means of consuming information.

Portable

One of the main reasons for the rise of YouTube over the mainstream outlets and sit-down television sets is undoubtedly the portability. Nowadays everyone seems to have a phone with a YouTube connection inherently attached, we see it on public transportation, in classrooms, offices, food courts – everywhere.

People are watching and consuming media in more locations than ever before which has lent itself to the platform perfectly.

Nuanced

YouTube over TV

News programs have begun slowly shuffling off onto the mobile platforms, to varying degrees of success. The more successful media companies have elected to conform and contort their old ways to fit snugly into a mobile format. Most offering special interest and investigative stories in bite size chunks on the YouTube platform.

There is a steady rise in the number of current events content creators that have established themselves on the platform earlier on and have now taken over a lot of the viewership of their mainstream compatriots.

Convenient

The convenience cannot be denied either, having information that is nuanced and tailored to specific interests available on demand is a luxury that is hard to shake off. Particularly in the wake of television and linear viewing experiences being inundated with more and more advertising which has accelerated the impatience of modern audiences who wish to have as much access with as little interruption as possible.

So, who will win in the great war for attention? Only time will tell, it seems fairly obvious however, that YouTube has the high ground at this point.

Five benefits of developing a marketing plan

George Soto
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Five benefits of developing a marketing plan

A marketing plan is a strategic document that allows you lay out the facts, objectives, and goals of your business. Drafting a marketing plan will require you to think about multiple factors, such as your company’s position in the market, your competitors, and your customers.

Marketing is essential for every business – for a business to be successful, you have a solid customer base that is satisfied with your services. By writing up a document with a plan, you will have a better idea of where you want your business to go and how to achieve that.

There are multiple benefits of developing a marketing strategy for your business. Read more to find out!

Background knowledge

A marketing plan requires research and knowledge. They are often dense documents that involve multiple areas of business. People often define marketing as advertising, but in reality it is far broader. It concerns your brand image, the products you develop, your target market, and the market situation.

One benefit of having to lay out all this information in your marketing plan is that you will gain a better understanding of your business which you will appreciate in the long term.

Thinking about the bigger picture

Establishing a marketing plan will help you think about the bigger picture. This is because it forces you to consider the industry you’re operating in, such as potential competitors and substitute products.

In this way, having a plan can help you prepare for anything that you identify as potentially harmful to your business. It will also help you to think more forward about your business and how it can innovate more.

By drafting a plan, you will also have the opportunity to consider what your overarching purpose is in terms of marketing. This can inform the way you operate your business on a day-to-day basis.

Know your business better

After you’ve completed writing up a long plan regarding your products, brand strategy, financial budget, and market situation, you’ll definitely be more in tune with your business.

By developing a marketing plan, you will have a solid and complete picture of what you intend your business to become. This can ensure that your marketing goals are in line with your overall business goals.

Getting your ideas down

Having a plan will allow you to list down all the ideas you come up with, and make sure that they don’t slip your mind. By going through the drafting process, you’ll be forcing yourself to sit down and get all your ideas on paper.

This will make it easier to operate your company in the long run as you have a planned outline of marketing activities you intend to execute.

Business activities often take a lot of planning and the consideration of multiple factors. As such, it can take months to properly roll-out a planned promotion or marketing scheme. By developing a marketing plan, you’ll be able to establish these activities in advance and ensure that everything happens as it is meant to.

Mahdi Pourzaferani & Exploring The Cultural Icon Of GTA V

Travon Marner
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Mahdi Pourzaferani & Exploring The Cultural Icon Of GTA V

For programmers like Mahdi Pourzaferani, the name GTA V elicits more than just a childlike smile and flashback to youth. Originally released back in the simpler times of September 2013, the game itself came out to exuberant fanfare and international acclaim. It topped the charts in innumerable countries and swept pretty much every award it could get its hands on.

Around 2 weeks after the initial release of the single-player game there was the opening of GTA Online, a paradise for gamers and communities to band together and play in the virtual world with different frameworks, challenges, rules, and parameters running the show.

FiveM Store - Mahdi Pourzaferani

It wasn’t too long before the ever-increasing mod community became the star of the show, and where Mahdi Pourzaferani and his company FiveM Store L.L.C came into prominence.

From Icon To Mod Paradise

The generational appeal for GTA V aside, there is something to be said about its longevity that spans beyond the premise of the game. The sheer intuitive build of the game is what is most fascinating with the GTA franchise often having multiple layers and facets that give a holistic experience for players.

The launch and appreciation for GTA Online invited a slew of programmers to try their hand at adjusting the environment to fit a vision. Whether it was mods that changed skins, added vehicles, or even more in-depth changes to game modes and rules – nothing was out of the wheelhouse.

Mahdi Pourzaferani, FiveM, & The Sandbox Reborn

The FiveM modification is among the most popular and widely utilised in the mod and gaming community for GTA V. Built from years of development on the Cfx.re framework, the FiveM modification gave modders and players an unprecedented level of sophistication and maneuverability in crafting and adjusting the intricate game world to provide new flashes of entertainment.

Mahdi Pourzaferani recognized this leap in ingenuity and thanks to his experience as a programmer and designer at Rockstar Games, knew a good thing when he saw it. This led to the creation of FiveM Store, his marketplace that allows players to purchase FiveM scripts that enhance and offer wildly imaginative features to the game.

What Next?  

As we arrive at the 10-year anniversary of the original games release next year, there’s no telling what will come of the franchise or its mod community. The popularity of FiveM Store and Mahdi Pourzaferani seems to be an unshakeable sign that the game, and the mod community as a whole will not be going anywhere, anytime soon.

You can follow Mahdi Pourzaferani at:

Afterpay – Blessing or a Curse?

George Soto
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Afterpay – Blessing or a Curse?

It’s no secret that people hate to wait, they want the ease and convenience of buying something and getting it straight away. But, with the economy as it is and the cost of living so high, people are often forced to put things on layby and pay the item off before collecting it. This is where Afterpay comes in. Afterpay allows consumers to pay a purchase off in instalments but receive the item straight away! But what impact does Afterpay actually have on the consumer and on the Australian economy? Keep reading to find out.

 

What is Afterpay and how does it work?

As mentioned above, Afterpay is essentially a version of layby that allows the consumer to take the item home (or have it shipped to them) before they have paid off the total amount. This is now known as ‘take home layby’. It’s really simple to sign up, all you have to do is create an account on the website and enter your card details, then you can start shopping online or in stores straight away! The model breaks down the total cost of an item into four fortnightly payments with no interest or added cost, unless you miss a payment.

 

How does Afterpay effect the consumer?

Using Afterpay can be really handy, it’s much easier to pay off $25 a fortnight for four fortnights than it is to pay $100 in one go. As of 2016 there were 140,000 users in Australia and that number continues to grow as more people become aware of the service, so people clearly see value in it. However,  it encourages customers to use their credit card to pay for items and pay the instalments, meaning this could encourage people to fall into debt.

 

How does Afterpay effect the economy?

As Afterpay becomes more popular, more and more businesses are getting involved. Retailers pay the platform a percentage of each sale and this is how they make their money. But how does this business model impact the economy? Well, when people spend money, the economy grows. Statistics show that users are 34% more likely to spend money, and they will spend up to 25% more than the average customer. On top of this, Afterpay’s website shows all of their retailers, this makes consumers more aware of smaller Australian owned businesses. The more we spend, and the more we spend with Australian owned businesses, the more our economy grows.

 

So, let’s sum it up. Afterpay is really great for the Australian economy but maybe not so great for the consumer. If you use a debit card, it is relatively safe, but it can be dangerous if you choose to use a credit card for purchases and spend more than you can afford to pay back. Nevertheless, if someone wants something bad enough and buys it on a credit card, they could get into debt anyway, so its not really fair to blame this specific business model. As for the economy, Afterpay appears to be helping it. And a strong economy can never be a bad thing!

 

How to change the law

George Soto
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How to change the law

Over a thousand of years ago, democracy was created, a system of government whereby each citizen of that country can choose elected officials to sit in the government. Since its first use in Ancient Greece, democracy and law have developed. It has its naysayers and its challengers, but it is chosen as the governing system for majority of countries today.

There are many benefits to democracy, it promotes equality in society, giving everyone an equal say. It gives citizens a sense of obligation and responsibility to make a choice regarding leadership and forces people to take an interest in the running of the country and its respective laws. However, one of the best things about living in the democracy is that you have the power to change a law.

If you feel so strongly about a law in your countries constitution, you don’t have to stand idly by as it continues to affect the country and how it’s governed. Here are a few things that you should do to help make a change.

  1. Create a group

You have your beliefs and now it’s time to force them on everyone else. Whenever you have the chance, make sure to tell your friends. Through that you’ll find out pretty quickly if you have support. After this, go onto the internet and search out those with similar feelings. It won’t be difficult. There are groups of people that hold all sorts of beliefs, and hopefully those of you too. You need people behind your movement and this is the best way to find it.

  1. Publicise your thoughts

You’ve got your group and you’ve found a common goal that everyone has memorised. Now is the time to bring it into the public eye. Make media and social media appearances the norm. Grow your group and then eventually you’ll be able to bring it to the streets. Organise a peaceful rally announcing your thoughts and the changes you want. The bigger the rally, the more trouble and inconvenience you’ll cause. The public and most importantly the government will take notice and your change will be closer than ever. Once the protest has finished, start an online petition. Even when people don’t care they are happy to put their signature to something, so you’ll be sure to get people to help.

  1. Bring it to the government

Now that you have created some momentum behind your issue, it’s time to find a government representative that you can trust to help you out. The higher their position the better. You need someone that has pull within the government and who can convince others of the worthiness of your cause. The quicker this process, the better. Then, before you know it, the government will discuss your proposed changes and with any luck you’ll have a referendum being scheduled for a few months time and a change of law after that.

It may take a few months or even years but with a democracy as the ruling system, anything is possible.

4 great ideas for a backyard kids zone

George Soto
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4 great ideas for a backyard kids zone

Are you eager to transform part of your backyard into a play area that your children will run around in? It’s a great idea to encourage your kids to spend more time outdoors engaging in physical activity rather than sitting in front of the TV or games console like a vegetable.

Perhaps you’re renovating or upgrading your backyard for the purposes of re-selling. Backyard kids attractions are always a winner with home buyers who are happy to pay extra for the novelty of a child’s play area.

The best part is – you don’t need a huge backyard to make a fun kids area. No matter the scale, you can create something fun that your kids will race out of bed to play with each weekend.

Let’s take a look at 4 great ideas for backyard kids areas.

1: Swings

Swings are a simple concept that is universally loved by children all around the world. You kids will happily spend hours swinging away on this inexpensive attraction that takes almost no time to prepare.

If you don’t have a strong tree from which to hang a tire swing, there are plenty of affordable swing sets that you can buy and set up. You could use the setting up as a fun opportunity to get your kids involved in building a project that they actually want to see completed quickly.

2: Fruit and vegetable garden

While you may be scratching your head at the thought of kids having fun with foods they routinely avoid, there’s actually very good reasons build them a fruit and veg garden. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and will be more interested in eating fruits and vegetables if they hand a hand in cultivating them.

This is also a great way to teach your children about basic agricultural principles and how to be respectful of their environment.

3: Cubby/tree house

Depending on how much effort you want to put into this option, it can be incredibly easy or a big home construction task. A small cubby house can easily be thrown together with some painted cardboard and some sticky tape while a more elaborate tree house will require some actual labouring.

Whatever you decide to go with, there are many benefits to creating a simulated 4 wall environment for kids to play house in. It allows them to explore the roles they see their parents and other adults carry out in their day-to-day lives and lets them understand basic concepts of ownership and residency.

4: Sandpit

A sandpit is another low-fi, yet incredibly effective outdoor activity space for children. All you need is 4 walls and some sand and you’ve got everything you need.

Sandpits are a great space for kids to take their toys (provided they don’t bury them) and are a good opportunity for them to learn about basic concepts of volume and measurement. There are plenty of fun digging tools that simulate bobcats and cranes that kids can play with, shifting sand from one pale to another.

Property Market Trends 2020

George Soto
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Property Market Trends 2020

One of the biggest markets in Australia is the property market. Over the past few years there have been hundreds of articles and news stories about house prices rising with no foreseeable top limit. But it seems as though we are about to see some changes. If you’re interested in finding out where the Australian property market is going, keep reading.

 

House prices will continue to fall

After a long period of growth, the Australian property market is beginning to slow down. Statistics have shown that in the March quarter of 2018 house prices fell by 0.5% as a whole, however the most notable drop was at the top end of the market in which prices fell by 1.1%. This change differs depending on location, Sydney prices appear to be dropping at a dramatic rate and it seems as though Melbourne will soon follow.

 

First home buyers over investors

Mortgage re-pricing has seen a shift in buyer behaviour. Investor interest rates have increased exponentially in comparison to the small increases for owner occupiers. This has lead to less investors asking banks for loans, and leaving the market open for first home buyers. Less competition from investors allows prices to be lower for first home buyers and will enable them to get their foot in the door. Competitive interest rates mean that repayments will become more affordable for young couples and families. For the first time in years, its becoming attainable for young people to buy their own home.

 

Upgrading over Upsizing

There are so many things to consider when not only buying a home, but when selling one. Something people often forget about is stamp duty; this tax has to do with property transfer, and it doesn’t come cheap. On average, for a median priced Sydney house, stamp duty is a huge $50,000! This means many people are opting to stay in their current home and renovate rather than moving to something bigger; with a 14% rise in people choosing to renovate within the next five years.

 

Things to Remember

With all the shifts in the market, it has changed the game and we will now have to reassess how we buy. Here are a couple of things to consider in light of the changes. Firstly, don’t rush into buying right now, if the market is dropping, and you wait for a year, you may save yourself money. Essentially, you might get the same house for less, just by waiting. But, don’t wait too long. What goes down must come back up. So don’t be obsessive about waiting for the right time- you may miss your chance.  Lastly, do your research, this involves looking at houses that don’t look great online, you may be missing out on an opportunity by not giving something a chance. Its also important to remember that just because the market is dropping, some houses will still go for sky high prices. The best way to get a good deal is by being aware of what’s out there.

 

Its clear that there are some pretty drastic changes happening in the property market, and it doesn’t seem like they are going to stop any time soon. If anything, it appears we should prepare ourselves for even more changes.

Five ways to keep your health in good order

George Soto
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Five ways to keep your health in good order

Keeping track of your health is important in this day and age, especially as our lives get busier and we have to manage being on top of everything. We often tend to neglect our health as we focus on completing tasks and managing our responsibilities.

Being on top of your health is important, however, as you need good mental and physical health to give everything your best effort. There are probably ways you can adjust your daily routine to improve your health.

Here are five ways to help keep your health in good order!

Schedule in your check-ups

Being on top of your medical check-ups is important to ensure that your health stays in good condition. Screening tests may also be necessary to check for signs of cancer or disease.

At the start of every year, remember to schedule in your annual check-ups. Whether it’s by setting a reminder on your phone to call the doctor or penning it into your calendar, it will give you that prompt to call up your medical expert.

Having these check-ups are essential to keep your health in good order, so make sure you don’t forget.

Weekly exercise

Exercise has great benefits for both your mind and body. Ideally, you should be doing some sort of physical activity 3-4 times a week but it’s understandably not always possible to fit that in your schedule.

Having a routine in place for exercise throughout your week will keep you healthy and fit. Be smart about it – think about where you can walk instead of take transport. Schedule a gym session with your friend instead of brunch.

These changes will help you maintain your health!

Stress relief

Maintaining a good mindset is important for having a healthy lifestyle. To keep your mental health in check, make sure you have some outlet for the stress that builds up throughout the week.

Whether this is working out at your gym or catching up with your friends, make sure you have an activity that leaves you feeling less tense.

Keep tabs on your diet

Watching what you eat can be extremely hard, but your diet is such a significant part of keeping your health in good order. It’s important that you know what you are putting into your body, and that you are getting the right amount of nutrients.

Limiting the amount of unhealthy food you eat can be done by simply reducing the amount you buy. When you aren’t surrounded by temptation, you’re less likely to cave. Learn to read labels on food products and cook more instead of eating out.

Get enough sleep

Sleep is so important to keep your body running in good shape. A lot of healing and revitalising happens during your sleep, so getting a good amount of sleep will help your body function better.

It’s important that you not only get good quality sleep, but you ensure that your sleep patterns aren’t too erratic. Getting into a stable routine will be good on your body and health!

3 Things You Need To Know As A Professional Marketer

Velma Romero
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3 Things You Need To Know As A Professional Marketer

Marketing has become an important industry in the business world with more and more people relying on the content, promotions, and social media in order to succeed. Because of this, it’s crucial to be at the top of the game for those who work in the field. In that case, we’ve devised a list of three key things you need to know if you are a professional marketer. While it may seem obvious, it’s important to do your research to help you develop skills, build your network, and encourage confidence in your work. Let’s begin.

1# Confidence Is Key

It might seem like a no-brainer but confidence is highly important especially when it comes to the world of marketing. Professional marketers need to be able to effectively communicate and socialize with their colleagues, people in their network, and clients in order to help their part in the business’ success. Asking the hard questions will help you learn and develop your skillset in the industry as well as lead you to a better role in the future. When you are confident, this can allow people to want to connect with you, work with your ideas, and ultimately, be listened to.

2# Up Your Social Media Game

Marketer on phone

With the rise of technology, there are more and more people using social media as a part of their daily rituals. This creates a great opportunity for marketing! It is incredibly important in this day and age to know all the tricks and tools when it comes to social media. Tools such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads, Hootsuite, are all great marketing programs that will help you improve your promotion strategy.

3# Build Connections

This is the most important. Building a network is essential in the workforce and most definitely necessary in the world of marketing. Grassroots marketing while might not have as much punch as social media is still essential as it taps into audiences and customers you wouldn’t have made possible without the connection.

How to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet

George Soto
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How to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is essential to have a well-balanced diet. If you aren’t used to including a good amount of these foods into your meals, it can be hard to get into the habit of eating as much as you should.

Fruits and vegetables provide our bodies with nutrients and vitamins that other food groups lack. To get their full benefits, we should be consuming fruits and vegetables of different colours.

Incorporating fresh produce can be hard, especially as it has a short shelf life and isn’t the most convenient or cheap option. However, it is important that you make an effort to eat healthily so that your body has the means to function well!

Replace your snacks

One easy way to add more fresh produce to your diet is to replace some of the snacks you would normally eat with fruits and vegetables. Instead of chips or biscuits, try to go for a healthier alternative, such as a banana or apple.

Celery sticks with hummus are a great alternative if you’re looking for a snack with more flavour that’s still nutritious! A good way to implement this change is to cut down on the snacks that you buy when grocery shopping so that your pantry has healthier options.

Keep them in sight

Everyone has cravings for unhealthy food, but you can beat the cravings by keeping those foods out of sight, and having visible healthy alternatives.

This will also remind you to include more fresh produce in your diet. Don’t leave your vegetables hidden away in your fridge or your fruit at the back of the pantry. Have a fruit basket that you can easily grab a snack from before you head out.

Plan your meals

It might sound a bit pedantic, but you don’t have to track your meals down to every detail. Just make sure that you’re getting a good daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

By planning what you’re going to eat throughout the day, you’ll be able to adjust your diet to accommodate for any particularly unhealthy meals.

Substitute foods in your diet

A good idea for including for fruits and vegetables in your diet is to try to swap out carbs in your meal. For example, try to eat a larger portion of vegetables at dinner and minimise your intake of rice or bread.

Cooking your favourite noodle dish with zucchini noodles is one idea, but there are many ways you can alter certain recipes you normally cook. Experiment around – you might end up making something new that you really like.

Add more to your meal

This tip is pretty simple – just try to include more in your meal. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colours is a great way to take in a wider range of nutrients, so next time you make a sandwich, add on a bit more.

Whether it’s making a side salad at dinner or adding more raisins to your muesli, there are many ways you can add nutrients to your diet!

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