HTML

The first programming language I learnt was HTML  which stands for “Hypertext Markup Language”. I was ten or eleven years old at the time and had no problems learning the language which is extremely beginner-friendly and would be useful to anyone who spends time on the internet. Most websites are designed using some HTML code which basically tells your browser how to display the elements on a particular webpage. For example choosing what colour you would like the font colour to be or whether you would like the title of a page to bold, italic or underlined. Nowadays there are a number of good HTML editors which allow you to create elements in a “Word-like” editor and then copy and paste the automatically generated HTML code. Nonetheless, it is a useful skill to have.

If you decide to learn HTML it would be wise to learn the complimentary CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) which builds on HTML to create site-wide attributes. For example if you want all outbound links to be red.

AutoHotkey

I probably use AutoHotkey (AHK) programming more than any other programming language these days. Basically AHK allows you to automate any repetitive processes you may need to complete. For example recently I needed to copy the contents of a few thousand links into an Excel spreadsheet. This would have taken hours to complete manually, but I created an AHK program which automated the task and completed it while I was sleeping. The AHK program comes with a comprehensive user manual which I always have open. It’s a little more complicated than HTML but still very easy once you get the hang of it. I have created a number of useful tools with AHK from simple shortcuts to controlling my computer with a wireless game controller.

Javascript

Javascript (not to be confused with the more complicated Java) is the next step up after HTML. It allows you to create more complex scripts for use on websites or in internet browsers. It is quite a bit more difficult than HTML, but once you have learned Javascript, other programming languages become easier to learn. It’s important to keep in mind that while Javascript and HTML is used primarily on websites, you can still host files on your computer and view them through an internet browser. I have combined Javascript and HTML to create browser based workflows which give you the relevant steps to follow in a particular process based on your input.

Other Programming Languages

The above three programming languages can be learnt from one of many online tutorials available. Other programming languages I would like to learn is PHP seeing as it’s the language a lot of the WordPress platform is based on. Maybe, when I get a bit of time, I can learn arguably the most powerful language C# which will allow me to create fully fledged programs that can be distributed.

Do you know any programming languages? Let me know if you need more info on any of the languages mentioned in this post.

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• Facebook App

The thing I find the most challenging is trying to cater for a varying audience, from people I meet in a business environment to people I meet in a social environment to close friends and family members. Only accepted friends can see my Facebook profile and I have also separated my accepted friends into three further categories, limiting parts of my profile such as photos, profile information and status updates to particular categories. Unlike my Facebook profile, I can’t control who reads this blog or other content available on this site. A prospective employer could be reading the blog on one day and a new acquaintance the next. So the challenge is to write blog posts and add content that would not be prejudicial to securing a new job or business contact, while at the same time being interesting and entertaining. This is a fine line.

I can also think of many pros to blogging. The first is that blogging allows me to develop my writing style. Being able to capture and hold someone’s interest is a worthwhile skill in any field. I also generate content on a wide variety of topics which can help people interested in similar topics find me through an online search engine. For example, my first post about my Individual Adwords Certification could link me to someone looking for an experienced Adwords consultant. In fact, all of my posts can help other like-minded individuals find me and stimulate discussion on topics I am interested in. I don’t need to remind everyone of the benefits of networking.

Seth Godin’s blog is arguably the most successful business blog online and is one of the few blogs I regularly visit. Seth once wrote that “the point [of blogging] is to start a conversation that spreads, to share ideas and to chronicle your thinking.” I think this is solid advice. I have a variety of interests: entrepreneurship, marketing and technology to name a few. I think if I am able to use this blog as a way to start a conversation with like-minded individuals, friends and colleagues on these topics and “share ideas” as well as “chronicle” my thoughts, then the benefits of blogging would surely outweigh the cons. Of course I have to keep mind that there will be a varied audience, but if I stick to Seth’s advice then I will surely be able to manage the impression I leave on each type of visitor.

Do you have your own blog? How do you decide what to write about?

Trishan Says:
I love WordPress! I used create new sites using Notepad and HTML, so when I discovered how easy it was to create good looking websites with lots of functionality, I was converted. WordPress used to be just a blogging platform, but it really is a fully fledged CMS system. I often recommend  it to anyone looking to build a website.

The first place people go to find information these days is Google Search and while Google can be your best friend, it can also find and display items from the past you’d rather see fade away into the deep, dark crevasses of the internet. Unfortunately I did not have the foresight to predict that using my own name as opposed to an online pseudonym would one day come back to haunt me and a search for my name does bring up some results I am not particularly fond of.

Even though there is more than one “Trishan Naidoo” on the planet and even in Australia, a little digging into some of the more dubious search results will likely lead the inquisitor back to me. Ideally I would like to exercise some control over the search results for my name which is why I created this website. Apart from personal branding (which I will talk about in another post), people who are looking for information about me can trust this website as a source of accurate information about that particular Trishan Naidoo who lives in Melbourne and studies commerce and law at the University of Melbourne.

There are now “online reputation management” companies who work with individuals to manage their online presence. I’d imagine these companies are doing the same thing I am attempting; that is trying to filter out the results from the past that arguably reflect poorly on you today, while making sure that there is accurate and controllable information for anyone seeking it. Apart from Google, the other thing that concerns me is my use of social media. I’v taken proactive measures to ensure privacy across all the social media platforms that I use.

Hopefully when prospective employers and other individuals come looking for me, they’ll come here first and get accurate information about the real Trishan Naidoo.

Do you worry about your online presence? Let me know if you come across any tactics to better manage your online presence. 

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Michael ‘Mike’ Ross (Patrick J. Adams) is a brilliant college dropout who made some bad decisions with an eidetic memory that has allowed him to pass the bar exam without attending law school. Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), one of Manhattan’s best lawyers, takes a gamble and hires Mike as his new associate. Because of the firm’s policy of hiring only Harvard Law graduates, Harvey and Mike are forced to pretend that Mike has gone to Harvard. Unlike the veteran Harvey, Mike empathizes with his clients.

• Suits IMDB Listing

Above: Fancy a cartoon image of yourself for a fiver?

The site works on a very basic but effective business model. When purchasing a job or a “gig”, payments are made to Fiverr who then credit the sellers account with $4 on completion of the job and retain the remaining dollar as a commission. The site was created by Israeli patent and technology lawyer Micha Kaufman who recognised that certain individuals, further along the learning curve, can perform particular tasks more efficiently than the unaccustomed. Kaufman explains that certain tasks may take someone hours to complete, “whereas for someone that’s a expert in that [task], who’s done it a hundred times, it could take them two minutes.”

Fiverr is not just for crazy and entertaining gigs but there is definitely an opportunity for businesses to outsource more mundane tasks such as search engine optimisation and content generation at an extremely affordable price. If you are an expert in a particular field but think that you won’t be able to profitably list your service, keep in mind that Fiverr allows sellers to list additional services with each basic listing. This means there is an opportunity for sellers to up-sell buyers and if used properly can make the difference between turning a profit and operating at a loss.

Beware, the site is incredibly addictive. I have already purchased a few gigs and regularly check for new gigs that I might be interested in. I might even consider listing a service on the site in the hope of becoming as successful as some of the other Fiverr members. One example is seller “DancingDror” who performs a dance with your advertising message written on his stomach. Dror has become an “overnight celebrity” thanks to Fiverr and is so popular he has more orders than he can complete.

Let me know if you find any interesting Fiverr gigs!

Given a short leash and starting with a modest budget, I went about creating an Adwords campaign. I had to make sure that every dollar assigned to the project was not wasted. The results were fantastic. We were creating leads at a fraction of the cost of using traditional media. As time progressed I began to self -study a wide range of online marketing techniques and soon enough the company had a social media campaign and was working on creating more web friendly content, including a redesign to the website which had not been changed since 1999! Today the majority of the firm’s leads are sourced from online campaigns.

It was during that period of self-education that I decided to become a “Google Adwords Professional”, as it was called back then. You had to pass an exam and then manage a certain amount of Adwords spend before gaining Professional status. Since qualifying as an Adwords Professional I have worked with a number of companies in a number of different fields on their Adwords campaigns. I currently manage a few campaigns and so recently I decided to renew my status.

The program has undergone a name change and now “Adwords Certification” requirements include the completion of a “Fundamentals Exam” and then a second exam in an area you wish to specialise. Most of the campaigns I manage are run on the Google Search Network and so I decided to specialise in search advertising. I achieved a score of 97% in the Fundamentals exam and 95% on the Search Advertising exam.

I think the qualification gives you some credibility and certainly shows you have a grasp of the mechanics of Adwords, but at the end of the day the only way to truly master Adwords and online marketing is through day-to-day practice. The more experience you have, the more knowledgeable you become and the more capable you are of running successful campaigns. I’ve worked on a number of different campaigns and I am constantly learning new things about online marketing and Adwords. While Certification is certainly great to have, it’s through hands-on experience that I have learnt the most.

If you need some help with your Adwords or online marketing campaign, feel free to shoot me an email.