While you’re there, you can browse through some of our favorite links, as well as all our blog posts.  Look for pictures, contests and polls to appear in the future.  In essence, it’s another way to keep up on the latest buzz on our website, but with the ability to communicate with Subpixel fans and customers to ask questions or offer your opinions on just about any topic pertaining to Sydney web design, global web designing, online content, or business practices and industries.  See you there!

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

We at Subpixel have made use of several business directory sites to spread the word about the business as an alternate means of advertising, and you can too.  Not only are the following examples of sites free to submit your small business website to, but they also have a quick turn-around to post, and give ample exposure to your organization:

Worldwide Listings

Manta

Sales Spider

Yalwa

I Go Look

Yelp

Australian Sites

Free Business Directory

My Sheriff

Sales Generator

Local Business Guide

When you look at all the listings, you can see how they all range in terms of what information we could add about our web design company.  While some sites offered plenty of room to add our list of services, others only let us put our name and link.  Etiher way, just having those listings published have proven as effective as some of the paying alternatives.  Of course, there are plenty more sites out there for you to explore.  Some more of our top picks are available in our list of Business Directory Links as shown on the sidebar (on the right).  We encourage you also to pursue sites such as Open Directory Project, Yahoo!, About, and Business to help improve your Google rating.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

Read more about business networking online.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

Learn more on IB in the workplace.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

A Love for the Arts

Drawing by my daughter, age 3

Let me tell you about my daughter, someone I admire for her interesting take on the world around her.  At a very young age, she became highly aware of sights and sounds, and as my only child, my husband and I certainly were available to her needs, providing opportunity and the tools for her to use.  She started recognizing patterns and shapes by age 1 1/2, mimicking tunes she’d heard as early as she could talk, and went on to draw recognizable objects and her favorite animals by the age of 3.  In the above photo she drew of what she calls a dinosaur (which also looks suspiciously like her favorite stuffed giraffe), it captured my attention because of her ability to shade in the figure, rather than just draw its outline.  Though she’s still young (in second grade at the time of this writing), she has gone on to a variety of ways to express her artistic and curious nature, which in turn prompted me to write this blog.

Trees at Sunrise/Sunset Painting by my daughter, age 7 1/2

As you can see from one of her latest works of art this year, she has fine-tuned her artistic ability, and loves to express her thoughts in this way.  Although she prefers impressionism and modern art, much of the credit is due to her art teacher at school, who helps students mimic the work of some of the greatest artists using a plethora of techniques.  My daughter also loves building things, and it helps that she has a mechanical engineer for a dad, so that she can use her Tinker Toys to create fascinating structures like this airport:

airport replica, 2010

Other creative children thrive on a more mathematical approach, with straight lines and precise graphs.  While this isn’t her strong point, she still takes a stab at it when required.

Projects Unleashed

Broom + Mop = The Brop 2012

Recently, my daughter’s school was challenging students to invent something useful to solve everyday problems.  My child was initially stumped.  But then with a few questions and promptings, she came up with “the Brop”: an interchangeable broom/mop to save you time and energy on using both.  Somewhat whimsical, but still practical!

Other great inventions she made just yesterday are:

car with moving wheels, green laser beams, and a "Jesus" cross

convertible shower / hot tub with adjustable faucet

airport control tower

It has been exciting and intriguing to watch these spontaneous creations!  But it also got me thinking about today’s schools and what they offer students worldwide.

Teaching IB Throughout the School Years

Until this past month, I hadn’t had a full appreciation of International Baccalaureate (PYP or Primary Years Programme) that is in its first full year of being taught at the primary level in my daughter’s school district.  I was skeptical, to say the least.  Why?  Because it is more rigorous than before, with a not-so-subtle push to challenge students to understand every subject more in-depth, and how what they learn relates to a global audience.  Not a bad concept overall, but I had my doubts as to whether my child who burns out easily could keep up with the demands.  I won’t lie; this year has been rough.  But from sticking with it, and seeing where she can excel with the programme, she has gone on to have a deeper level of thinking, with more of a desire to invent.

With a traditional academic environment, it is not always possible for students to have extended creative license.  Not all teachers have learning styles that match such a curriculum, and they don’t have the time or patience to see that each child is able to learn in a way that makes the most sense to them as auditory, visual, or haptic learners.  Having IB teachers requires the added expense of continued education, so that everyone is on the same page.  It also means extended planning for a curriculum that encompasses all the core components to be IB, and taking the time to appreciate each child’s needs and learning styles.  This is a complicated and whole-community effort!  The only way to make it work is by having parents and the schools meet to discuss ways in which to keep growing.  Parental involvement with projects and for resource purposes is crucial, especially at the primary level.  Once students are familiar with PYP, they adjust better to what IB entails in intermediate and high school years.  I don’t know how that looks for students who come from different backgrounds, where one or both parents are not available or lack an understanding of how to help.  Yet, somehow in inner-city areas where students are given this chance to make a difference in their lives and to enrich the world around them, many are going on to becoming excellent examples of ingenuity in their communities.

The Minds of the 21st Century

I realize that not all children who became inventors were taught with IB.  But just with seeing the overwhelming responses in the unique inventions students created in my daughter’s school this year, it has ignited a spark for learning.  And that is not an easy thing with a group of kids who come from a variety of ethnic and sociological backgrounds.  Many don’t even speak English.  Others don’t own books.  All within a school in a fairly well-to-do school system.

So…what can we all learn from taking a page in the IB book of instruction?

• Allow students to have endless resources so that they can explore their talents
• Mentor youth as much as we can, since they will one day be our future leaders
• Find every-day practical applications for topics students can relate to in the home/community, and tie them in with the global audience

When every school can do this more effectively, more businesses will see a rise in smart and savvy shoppers, and employees who know how to serve those customers well!

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

What is Pinterest?

Seems like everyone has been talking about this site these days.  In essence, it’s a  posting board for all things visual – from recipes, to crafts, to items for sale, and places to explore.  Funny thing is, Pinterest has been around now for a few years, but has spread in popularity the past 18 months.  As long as you have a Facebook or Twitter account, you are able to request to join, and upon acceptance, you are able to start “pinning” items you find useful.

Why it Works

Pictures are really worth a thousand words.  Be it a product, an accomplishment, or a fond memory, people like to capture such things with image stills or even video.  And who hasn’t ever been excited enough to share them with friends and family?  Enter the 21st Century.  Facebook serves as a virtual scrapbook of sorts, while Twitter is a replacement for water cooler chats.  Then you have how-to guides, review sites, and blogs for self-help steps and tips.  Adding Pinterest to the mix of social media enables you to go full circle with sharing, interacting, explaning, and recommending people, products, and services to everyone you know, much faster than if you were to call or write to your contacts.

Pinterest has caught on as a trend mainly because of its explosive growth in the kinds of items available to “pin”.  Just like with articles that have photos, Pinterest has proven interesting to everyone because of the eye-candy people see when they explore the site.  I have to admit, it’s always an interesting surprise when I log on to the site and see what the latest pins are…I just never know what wacky or inspiring sites I’ll find!  I may even find the next creative project to tackle in my free time, or what to make for dinner on any given night.  And when I see that several others have also liked or repinned ones I like, I can either ask them about their input, or try it for myself.  Happily, I’ve not been disappointed yet.

Pinterest as Your Business Model

Pinterest’s idea of having key images is something that you need to think about for your own website’s design.  What works for Pinterest?  How can you capture that for your own site?  What structural changes might you have to do to make your website more captivating to the public?  People want to know more without having to do more.  This is best done through pictures (maybe with captions) that give at-a-glance details, with the option of taking it a step further to read on.  When you can build your site around this mentality, you may see things improve for your overall business.

Should Your Organization Use Pinterest?

The only thing that worries me about Pinterest is the fact that it is hard to keep track of who owns the rights to a given image.  To the average consumer, this may not seem like a big deal, especially if you argue that by pinning a site with a photo on it is like having a bookmark.  But to photographers and artists, it gives them something to be concerned about, because suddenly their work is being published often without their consent.  Pinterest has changed their terms to reflect this, in that they want users to only upload pins to images they own, so that once they do that, then the general public can repin from there.  Unfortunately, it is not 100% possible to monitor this closely all the time.  Still, flaws aside, the site continues to rake in exponential views per day as its users keep pinning and repinning images.  Why should you care?  Because if you sell something, it may be in your best interest to put images of what you do on Pinterest to gain exposure.  From there, you can post to Facebook and Twitter, and then your followers or people who browse the search engines will come across your posts and be intrigued.

In the end, whether you choose to use Pinterest (or their strategy) is solely up to you.  It’s not an end-all for your marketing practices, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to stay up with the trends, use it to help your site, and show your virtual customers that you are in the know.  Just don’t get crazy, so you appear desperate!  No one likes braggers, especially in the world of business.  But there’s nothing wrong with having a few choice accomplishments or products displayed on Pinterest, especially if they’re unique, to talk about.  That way, you build a reputation with those things, and people will come to associate your name with them.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

Read more about business web design.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

Learn how the software makes designing your business website easier.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

Your Online Marketing Campaign

As a sole-proprietor, it is in your best interest to be available to the public.  When people have questions, are curious about what you have to offer, and want to do business with you – you have to be easily accessible, or else they won’t want to bother.  A simple way of having such a presence is through having your own website.  You don’t have to wait until your business grows, either.  It doesn’t matter if you are an accountant, a writer, a doll refurbisher, a photographer, or even a non-profit entity - the best time to have a website is when you are on your own, or with few employees.  Then, as you gain popularity, so will your website, and you will continue to reap the benefits – and possibly be able to hire more workers at a later time.

Establishing Your Online Presence

Consider this: when you have something to sell, people want to see what they are spending their money on, whether goods or services.  Your website can be a showcase to your skills (as in a resume or portfolio) as well as a virtual store available to anyone in the world.  Categorized and displayed well, your viewers can browse for what they want –  quickly, and efficiently.  To send someone to your website, include the link with your emails, business cards, stationary and envelopes, and fax cover sheets with each of your correspondences.  Or, try other means such as window clings, bumper stickers, pens, and pencils.

While you may opt for a freebie site you can do yourself, it never hurts to pay for a website that has all the features you want and need, without having to work around annoying banner ads and other unnecessary components you don’t care to use.  Best of all, by having a website you have paid to create, you choose your own domain name.  That in itself does the public a favor, in not having to remember a lengthy domain name, lower or uppercase letters, or extra characters that can be mis-typed (as in the forward or backward slash, hyphens, and underscores).

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

Built-in Apps to Use

These include the free applications that are already on your device when you purchase it.

• Calendar  You probably already use it, but its value is worth mentioning!  Not only will the calendar keep you organized right now to the time and place for your appointments, but if you are a task-oriented person, you can map out time for you to write each day/week/month.
• Photos  An easy way to have a camera with you (moreso with an iPhone, since it can fit in your pocket, but of course you can still use the iPad if you have one with a built-in camera).
• Clock  Set a timer or alarm to do your marathon writing sessions, or set the stop-watch to keep track of how long you write when you’re long-winded.
• Calculator  Let’s face it: not everyone can do math in their heads.  And you don’t have to if you don’t want to.  Use it to calculate your hourly pay, or total the hours you wrote, etc.
• Notes  This app is great because you can write memos to yourself in list fashion or in paragraphs.  One tip that helps – make your first sentence be the title of your note (perhaps with the date) for easier access when skimming through your list.
• Voice Memos  If you have an iPhone with this feature, you don’t have to worry about typing on the go – open the app and press “record” and you have a very handy and easy-to-use voice recorder.  Later you can transcribe your thoughts and never miss an opportunity to take down your thoughts just because you lack pen/paper or an Internet connection.
• Youtube  Had to mention this one, since without it you wouldn’t have video how-to’s, or a way for you to branch out in you writing by creating short video clips you can share with the world to showcase your movie skills.  Even better, add clips to your writing and you add more weight to your content!

Free Apps to Download

Not all apps cost you anything to download, and not everything that’s for a fee is worth the money.  Fortunately, by looking through reviews, skimming the list of apps by user rating stars, and watching for sales (since some apps start out as paying and then may become free), you can find some indispensible gems.  Here are mine:

• Facebook  Used as an easy networking and marketing tool, you can promote your business, articles, and events by posting them on Facebook.  And since you’re probably on the go with your iPhone or iPad, this mobile app makes logging in easier and faster while loading the site.
• Pinterest  A highly addictive site should you choose to browse through it when taking a writing break, it can also be useful when scouring ideas for how-to articles you want to write or sharing your ideas with others.
• Words With Friends and Scramble  These are two games I can’t go without!  By playing them on a regular basis with my contacts, it stimulates vocabulary and makes for interesting discussions.  So forget playing pc games when you can have easy word games to feed your brain without needing a flash player or other plug-in.
• Ruler  Though not larger than the screen of your device, having a ruler can be useful if you need a quick measurement on something while on the go.  Changes easily from centimeters to inches.
• DocsToGo  If you like using Microsoft Office, then you’ll probably love using this app.  Create, share, and manage docs, spreadsheets, and jpegs just as you would with the MS office suite.  The best part is, you can save the files to your home computer or upload files from your home computer to the smart device.
• AppShopper  No matter how many apps you have, this one is bound to be most important, and for good reason.  AppShopper is where you can keep track of sales on all apps you may want to buy (writing or non), and know when prices go up.  Because of it, I hardly ever use the App Store anymore.

With so many applications available at your fingertips, you can’t help but enhance your writing quality and make the most out of each writing experience.

Natasha Kohlhoff Polak (Freelance Writer)

Content and Creative Writing Services

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