Log of what of Sulani Bradley has learned at Techie Youth

I watched a video on how to privately embed youtube and vimeo videos on your website. This is to ensure that the only members of your business can view the videos through the website. Vimeo has better settings for this. So, on youtube, there are different video viewing options like united so only ones with the link can view it. It can be added to a playlist as well there’s custom size, settings and other further options. Then for further privacy, one can remove the share button. Then, add the link to the website and there’s more options for privacy like only views on the website. On Vimeo, one can password protect the video, so only a password can be used, it can be listed for specific people or only people with the link can view. This drives direct traffic to those specific videos and makes sure the customers aren’t being exposed to any competition on either site. Then I looked at How to start a podcast by Ross Win. It is fairly easy, but a few steps must be taken in advance. The process goes as follows, choosing a topic and name - this is what represents the podcast and what it will mostly be about. Then the Show and episode format that has a certain style, length and number of episodes. Then cover art creation,intro and outro music, equipment selection, audio recording and editing, submission to apple podcasts, and promotion tips. It went further into topic themes, equipment, how to record and edit then ways to promote on their free 10 day how to start a podcast course. I continued on the podcast topic and read the article The best 9 free podcast hosting services in 2022. Podcast hosting services make it easier for people to upload their work, it generates RSS feeds, distributes podcasts to different platforms and provides an accessible service for listeners. When finding a podcast service, it’s good to consider what features and extras they have. Then analytics to see important info and what attracts the audience most. This can be taken advantage of to show what needs to be taken advantage of. Then it’s good to do research on these free resources because sometimes they aren’t as good as the paid ones, but they offer links to find really good free ones. There’s platforms like Buzzsprout, speaker, podbean, casots and simpecast that offer different storage space, bandwidth, platforms (apple, google spotify) and more. Then there was another article by the same author offering more podcast apps for both iOS and Android. Another one shows how to upload podcasts on these platforms and another specifically on spotify, which is a super popular streaming service for listeners everywhere. Later on, I reviewed an article talking about 9 proven ways to make money on instagram, (2022) by Adam Enfroy. Instagram is super popular amongst apps like snapchat, tik tok snd facebook. But instagram has the most marketing power. To make money on IG, it all depends on follower count, engagement, reputation and more if you’re not well known. So the 9 ways are to:

Promote affiliate links - to make commissions on generated sales.

Sell physical and digital products. There was a way to put links on instagram posts to stores and more options on business account features.

Sponsored posts - more engagement = more money

Become a brand ambassador promoting products that belong to companies like fenty beauty and they’ll send free products. Kind of like an influencer.

Create visual content for sale - like professional photos

Provide social media marketing content

Write captions for businesses, captions are what grabs the audience's attention and promotes engagement.

Make instagram stories masks and filters.

Then find freelance clients like professional photographers, artists and more. A lot of them list their business in IG bio.

Then I reviewed an article on how to make instagram AR filters. Filters are one of the most popular features on instagram. iT is a computer generated effect designed to change real life images or surroundings. They can even be used to promote business, like kylie jenner's lip shades can be used on a filter and can bring in more customers if they like the color on them without physically trying or buying it. There’s an AR studio that makes filter creations with easy codeless design like importing objects and sounds. When published to instagram,the engagement in insights like total impressions, captures and total shares. The effects that can be made are make a face, synced movement effects, world effects and connection ones that have objects and places. Then they listed the steps. The process can take a couple of days, but one must remember to follow the app guidelines so it can be improved. I also submitted a quiz for creating digital products. Then I submitted the second part of my online trading assignment. Most of my predictions were correct since I analyzed the graphs for each stock individually.

I went back to the section Selling Digital goods > How to sell digital goods and looked at the email marketing section. I checked out the article Ecommerce email marketing By Kaeligh Moore. Email marketing helps give leverage to the ecommerce business. One must keep in mind that many people’s emails are already flooded with spam, so what can be done to set that specific email from the rest? One has to get creative. 7 Top taptics for creators are:

Pop-ups or opt in forms on your website

Referral programs

Podcast sponsorships

Leverage user generated content

Share e commerce marketing offers om social media

Run PPC ads to convert more visitors

Partner with influencers.

This was about a 20 minute read. I then went to see my performance and saw the response for how to sell art assignments. This actually isn’t a new art piece, it’s an older one I already had prepared, so I chose to do art work that represented myself because I like gaming. But I took the time to recreate a new art piece that is synonymous with what’s asked, which took an hour. Then I took a break to continue with the other content and submitted it last.

Then I looked at the following Email Marketing Best Practices. They explain how email marketing is used for various things such as “branding. Engagement, acquisition, retention, direct sales, reactivation, generating traffic and getting referrals'' which shows the flexibility of this type of promotion. This results in more profit and growth because it is like a path that introduces the customers to the seller and their business. Three types of emails that should be used are:

Transactional: Customer service

Relational: customer engagement

Promotional: generating sales

Then it went more into depth of when to use these email strategies so they are more effective. Next, I read 25 advertising Metrics by Fahud Muhammad. Advertising metrics is important because it allows for growth and for digital marketers they need to do this every month because it shows how good their ads are performing. One can use Google and Facebook as a start. On google there are specific steps needed to be taken to drive customers In. For maximum results he listed 25 advertising metrics Total site traffic, Bounce rate, page value, impressions,CPM - cost per impression, clicks, cost per click , conversions, CPC, CPA - acquisition,lifetime value, conversation rates etc. Then I looked at advertising conversion by Tyson Quick. Advertising conversions are any goal action taken by a potential customer that is valuable in an ad campaign. There are various advertisements like click through and post clicks. This helps to generate leads which generates more traffic to the site. Some extra tips for high conversion ads are create a high converting ad, choose platform wisely, narrow targeting, start with a goal, write a benefit filled headline, elaborate strategy, visuals and call to deliverance. Then I watched a youtube video called Local Marketing university that went deeper into this topic, but on facebook, this uses a combination of funneling like previously learned and advertisement converting strategy.

Then I watched How to get your first 1000 email subscribers by Carrie green. She listed some good types that can be very profitable if done right. First one has to think about the type of ads that they want to create and how they get people to sign up. Then pomoye it by making a blog post to tell them about the video series, sending emails to existing email list and post on social media. Next it’s good to create a freebie then create a toic around the freebie. After that create banners that call people to action.Add an offer at the end and use that traffic to ad conversion. Then use the community effectively, like getting them to sign up for what’s being advertised. Then people can do it in groups which drives more traffic like facebook groups and lastly one has to promote what’s being created. I watched her other video on how to start a membership site and she inspires people to just start because most people get the idea, but never start it. Their membership site was really inviting, creative, but simple because simple is attractive, it offered her mission and she had loads of enthusiasm by putting her personality into it. Then it also gave resources within it to promote products. All in all, Tip #1 is to just get started, then Tip #2 is to create visibility, #3 it doesn’t need to be perfect, tip #4 collaborating with the audience by listening and communicating. Then I watched a video called Best membership site ideas for beginners. One should choose one that takes the least money to start, but the most effective for promotion. Some of these membership site ideas he mentioned are click funneling, courses, facebook, client portal, and mastermind. And lastly, I watched her video on how to start and grow a successful membership site. One has to have a clear message of the site, this is the foundation. Then it’s important to think about the content that should be posted because people consume content in different ways, like with live sessions, written works, bundles and other stuff. This is why it;s good to plan ahead. Then she stresses the importance of finding how to promote and what marketing plan to stick with. Now that traffic is driven here, it’s good to think about audience retention.

Today, I went back into the selling digital goods section. I explored different topics since there were a lot to cover to see what I liked most for the assignment. I read an article introducing “The Sales Funnel website. Then my internet went out early in the morning and I had bad service, so I couldn't check out the content for a little bit. Funnel websites are different from traditional websites. It helps to drive traffic and encourage results using a funnel technique. On regular websites there isn’t anything guiding the audience further to check out the content like ads, products news, social media pages, etc. The sales funnel traffics people in from social media, then to a lead capture, sales process and prospects. order/upsell and customers, then ascend and clients. So click funnel offers react to use courses to build a business off an attractive website. Then I watched a video explaining further what a sales funnel is and how to make money off it by Russel Bunson. He stresses the importance of funnels because it makes an attractive website and gets more clients which equals more profit. He put $10 each day into google ads, then sold a DVD for $37 making $27 profit. Then it changed to $50 a day, not making any profit. The secret is to use upsell in order to make money, so it’s like a bundle. Selling a burger then saying would you like a drink and fries with that, which causes the customer more money. So he applied that, and once the DVD was bought there was a kit associated with it and 1:3 customers bought it. Now he started to make more money than the ADS. It is also important to market the product to drive in more customers. Then I watched Karuna Beckmann’s way of selling digital products. She talks a lot about the same concept as Russel, but shows us how to make a click funnel on clickfunnels website, add format, pictures, caption and upload images. Then I looked at 9 top resource lists for indie game developers by Ninichi who is a freelance game music composer in the UK. They make music for game developers all over the world. So they shared some resources to get started. First was 11 awesome places for game developers to learn unity and programming, then 17 great places to find free game art, 12 great places to find sound effects, 10 crowdfunding platforms for your indie project, 10 places to find beta testers, 16 indie friendly game publishers and more. Then I looked at what stock photos are and how to use them right. These are images created by photographers that are available for use by others covering a wide range of photography and there’s even stock image websites with illustrations, animations, web templates and video. There's agencies online to purchase them or there are some free stock photo websites. In order to use photos off these websites these agencies allow special licenses that allow people to use their photos and to make sure they are from a reliable source. This helps to avoid copyright and adhere to the tricky licensing laws. Then I looked at an article with 10 tips for starting to sell stock photos by Kav Dadfar. First it’s good to have a stock photography portfolio, shoot images that sell so they should be good quality, good angles and crops. Then choose the right agency, put together a strong submission, check every image, include keywords and metadata, think long term, work with an agency that helps with connecting clients, stay up to date with trends in the photo genre, and further build a portfolio on what sells. Then I looked at two more stock photo articles and watched a video presentation on how to use adobe stock contributors to sell photos. Then I learned what a word press theme was. This is a template made for a website that involves coding. In order to sell WordPress themes it’s a good thing to choose your niche, then develop the themes using trendy designs, then follow word press coding best practices, and include appropriate theme templates, create a user friendly theme options page, create a clear theme documentation, choose a theme marketplace, price that theme and sell and then find the

Today I finished up the magazine and journal writing section. I watched a few youtube videos and read articles on further tips and tricks for successful magazine writing. I watched “Writing for Magazines: Top tips…” by The Write Lifestyle. Some of her top tips were to first learn how to write a query letter. There are a bunch of courses for this, but she says to not get stuck in the writing process, but learn as much as you need to to just get it out. Then keep writing and practicing pitches because it took her too long. Even though she didn’t do well at first, they gave really good feedback on advice and where to improve, so she applied it and became successful with it. Even lack of feedback and rejections help. Advice #1 is to use any magazine clips that you find useful no matter how old they are to showcase writing skills.Then #2 Write a really good query article. Then #3. write for free in a magazine you like. Then Advice #4 was to use a warm pitch to capture editors on social media and ask them to pitch them. And finally, try an unstacked query where there is no assignment, so they’ll only pay the person if they like it, but it’s good for a portfolio. After a while of query and getting enough clients, then pitches won’t be needed to write si frequently. To further this success, keep researching the market and write about topics you are interested in and sometimes go out of what you’re used to. Use that information, play with the idea and make something different, unique, but timely. This will convince the editors that it is a fresh idea.

Then I watched a short video on Anna Wintour’s creativity and leadership masterclass. Anna is an editor in chief of a vogue magazine with a broad experience working with brands and magazines. She also owns 19 brands and has a huge influence on the fashion industry as well as being popular in the media and publishing industry. She stresses teamwork and surrounding oneself with people who are trusted, honest, and active listeners. She teaches how to get the work done, finding voice and success, leading with a vision, transforming met gala, the power of image, evolving a brand, designers, spotting talent, lessons from creative leaders and leading with impact.

Afterwards I watched and read an article on, How to Write and structure a Journal Article. Before anything, it’s good to do research on the article the writer wants to submit their paper to. It has to be relevant to own research and match their values.Then, it’s important to keep the message of the paper focused. This helps find the target audience. In order to format a journal article they offer templates to use for different styles and a format free submission. But the general structure for an academic journal is to have a title, keywords, be abstract (expressive), acknowledgements, introduction, main body, conclusion, then finally references and citations. It is also good to make sure the writing is clear and concise, so its easy for people to read. Then it’s good to be aware of other writings related to the field focused on and to reference it, otherwise there would be accidental plagiarism. Basically, the main points are to focus, find key audience, be aware and articulate. Then I looked at Magazine writer salaries, they typically make $71,406 and approx. $34/hour. In NYC, they’d make close to $80,000, pretty nice.

Then I looked at Nick Hopwoods article on a few things you’ve always wanted to know about publication, but were too afraid to ask.Previously titled dummies or the idiots guide, but he felt that it was too mean and it’s a good thing to ask questions. I agree, since I'm a very curious person. He mainly asks questions like, ‘Is it for everyone?” and specifies that any student, at any stage or education can submit something from publication. There is a process and place and some publishings look for different things. Another answer to this question is, even though any student can do it doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Then someone asked if there's money to it and sadly not. I never knew this myself, but if one does not publish they don't get paid, if they publish they don’t get paid and even editors don’t unless the article itself becomes huge like the Game of Thrones pipeline. Sometimes there’s even single figure royalties. Then he continued to answer more questions on the matter. Then I took the quiz and finished the unit.

Lastly, I took a peek into the next section on authoring books. I was able to look at one article called, How to Get Published with a Traditional Publishing House by Thomas Umsattd Jr. One can publish traditionally or independently. Both ways have their pros or cons, but one can still make money off it. Traditional trading pros are more prestigious, less out of pocket costs, access to NYT list, Prestigious rewards and better distribution into brick and mortar retail.For this type of publishing, first someone has to prove themselves, bestsellers are what make good profits and recognition. So, when writing fiction, someone has to write a story the publisher can’t put down. So one must write an entire novel, save it to flash drive and then put it into a safe deposit box. Nonfiction path is to build a good platform in order to connect with people and get them as a following. Publishers like to look at email list. There needs to be a good number of people above hundred otherwise it won’t capture their attention.Next is to write a query letter and book proposal. It needs a book outline, books target audience, authors platform, book marketing plan, endorsements , authors publishing and past sale history and sample chapters. Then it’s good to get a library agent, who will represent the writer to publishing companies. Authors make more money with library agents. There are different levels, so it’s good t do some research first. In order to get an agent, it’s good to turn to resources and clients so they can refer the writer to agents. The last few steps were to get a publisher by polishing orposoal, pitching strategy, publishing board, and negotiation. Then get paid, usually in advance before book sales and royalties. This is a good point where an agent comes in. Lastly, write or rewrite the book to get started and once it’s done launch it. Then I will review the rest of this section, Monday.

Today i started the lesson How to sell digital goods, Digital gods are intangible products sold online like music, online courses, drop shipping, etc. I started the day off watching the introduction video on selling digital goods by techie youth. HE explained that there is no cost per sale and the risk is in terms of uncertainty for merchandise or the possibility of no sales. But there’s a chance the items will sell and I could make a lot of profit. Then I read the article ' ‘What is a digital good anyway” by Annie. The history of goods has always been a physical product like fabric or furniture imported from womehere. But now in the digital area there is an online market where there are goods that aren’t tangible. This includes digital products, service, electronic goods or services, and E- goods/service. Some countries interpret digital goods differently like in the U.S. some online articles are counted as digital while some states disagree or in EU, these goods include electronic networks with automated supply, minimal human intervention and electronics. The taxes for these goods depend on the religion and where the business operates.

On a shopify blog, they explained digital products that are most profitable and how to promote them. Digital products are good for entrepreneurs who want to make money online with the least effort. So first one must create a digital product,one can resell existing products or create their own, like music, fonts, photoshop presets, courses or online services. Then, build an online store. One can pick website templates, make a logo, copy and insert images. Then find an app that makes selling easy, lile shopify that houses a bunch of digital products from courses to PDF purchases. Finally, one has to promote them to an audience that is looking for that specific product. One can use influencer marketing, social ads, or lead magnets. Entrepreneurs must take note that there is competition with free content, so it has to be high quality and sets apart from the rest. There is susceptibility to piracy and theft, so one has to take precautions and reduce the risks with the right tools to protect the products. Then there are some restrictions in place depending on the platform, so one has to make sure to review commerce policy. These challenges can be easily overcome with the right tools and research. Some of the best digital products include educational products licenses to the digital assets, memberships, digital templates and tools, music or art and online services.

Then I looked at an article called 21+ profitable digital products to sell online in 2022. They explained some benefits which are the low overhead costs, space due to no physical store or inventory, products are ready right after purchase and the many opportunities with the increase of online learning. Then the digital products they listed are online courses, e-books, PDFS, membership sites, digital templates, software, mobile apps, video and stock footage, music and audio, stock photography, web based applications, graphics and digital art, online services coaching, craft patterns, downloadable guides, recipes, swipe files, self assessment tools, fonts and website themes, tutorials. Then they listed the steps to make this happen like shopfiy did, but in more detail like in step one - create a digital product. But one has a lot of things to consider so this includes their interest in the product, the time it takes to start and what skills are needed to do so. So each step is gonna take some research.

Then, I started to take a look at the careers in digital products. I started off with writing. Writing is a perfect career that can be done at home on a computer, if someone is creativity motivated or has the skills to explain steps in an eye-catching way, this talent can be used to appeal to a broad scope of audiences. A degree isn’t required for professional writing, but it can be useful if one has a literature degree, formal study or additional education in general. But it is good to have some type of writing skills. It’s necessary to have a portfolio with writing samples or volunteer to be an author at established resources. To improve writing skills I took a look at grammarly that helps to proofread writings by giving quick feedback and minimizing errors. I’ve used this app before to help with essay writing. Then I took a look at Reflective writing ENG102’s research guide on the differences between magazines and articles. All in all, magazines are used for entertainment purposes, that cover a broad spectrum of subjects and topics that appeal to the general audience, written by magazine staff/freelance writers. Journals are informational articles based on academic/scientific research. These focus on topics in a specific field and are written by experts, scholars or professionals in that field.

Then I looked at a few more articles giving advice on specific types of writers. First was How to Get Into Magazine Writing by Masterclass staff. Most successful articles are of these subjects: Longform investigative pieces, Character profiles, Commentary, Humor, anf fiction. Magazine writers must develop sources, pitch stories to editors, interview the subjects, follow up with resources, rearch, write and submit first draft, revise and then work with fact checkers/copy editors. Most magazines are starting to promote on a lot of social media, like anything else to provide commentary on the news for the day. A staff writer works exclusively with a magazine company or publication. Then freelance writers aren’t exclusive to a single publication. There are pros and cons for both in terms of benefits, income, and favorability. Then finally the 6 tips are to respect the writing style of the magazin, draw on personal experiences when brainstorming, opt for digital commission, consider trade magazines it’s okay to be rejected and ask for feedback.

Next, I looked at a 15 Step Freelance writers guide for writing magazines. Freelancing is good to consider for more flexibility and inconclusivity. One must study target publication, find story ideas, find news hook, time management, learn to write query letters, start small, try the front of the book, pitch trade magazines and custom publishers. Learn LOl basics, Find resources, sheConduct interviews, write a first draft, revise, get feedback and most importantly to turn in the story in time and pitch another at the same time. Then I looked at 6 tips for magazine article writing by freelance writing. First is to pick a topic matching expertise or interest. Then choose interesting angles, research, outline information, write the articles and then make sure to check out magazine style et or guidelines of the publication. Finally I looked at How to Start A News article hy Linda Formichelli. To get the audience's attention, start with a quote. Then jump into action by starting off with the situation to hook the audience in. then use a startling statistic for a shock factor. Find a compelling anecdote, which gives a deeper insight to someone’s personal situation relating to the article. Lastly, Use Specific language with strong phrasing and precise language. So it’s better to go in detail and get descriptive than to say something vague and simple. Then tomorrow, I will take a deeper dive into writing and hopefully take the quiz.

I have finished the Selling Art online segment. It was really fun and liberating after immediately picking a harder elective to pursue. It gave me really good advice on how to sell art in an efficient and professional manner. I know now that I can sell art on many different platforms like etsy, facebook, instagram and twitter as well as promoting it on social media. Also, making a business out of art isn’t so black and white, one can enjoy their hobby as well as make money off of it. The business side can be really confusing and taxing, so one can hire an art agent/advisor/counselor to assist them. I am excited to do so in the near future once I put away more funds, I know it doesn’t always take a lot of money to do so, but I want to wait until I have some stability since I am in nursing school.

First I reviewed a segment on artists with special challenges, Anybody can be an artist regardless of status, disabilities, homelessness or any other special challenges. Art is a beautiful thing and one should be able to fully embrace that talent. There were websites like art lifting that help to sell artwork of artists who are homeless or disabled by promoting it on their website. They get 55% of the profit, one percent of each sale to aid the community and the other 44% for strengthening their mission. Then there was A.R.T.S anonymous that wanted to help artists recover through their special 12 steps. This can cater to people who have suffered from avoidance and creative blocks, perfectionism, the feeling of not being good enough, retirement, etc. So it seems to help those who may be troubled with their emotions or current state and life, so they will be liberated with a creative outlet. Then there was a coalition for diabled musicians that is a non profit organization that help artists with disabilities and aims to give them a professional environment to improve and showcase their work. There were many more like creativity explored, national institute of arr and disabilities, project art works, etc.

Then I took a look at avoiding art scams. I went on this website called stop art scams, it seemed like a bulletin board for different types of scams, it’s titled stop art scams, but it seems like it’s more than just art and I didn’t like the site because it isn’t secure and looks really weird. Everything is in an email format, so I'm not sure if these are just examples or legit? I think this would have been easier to navigate if there was some guidance on what I was looking for. Then I went to another article called Known scammer Names in Art Related Email scams, who seems to have created the previous site mentioned. I see she just gives a lot of useful advice on what to expect when dealing with scams.This includes advice to stay away from sketchy buyers like those who ask for payment upfront, are ‘moving” and ask the artist to meet them somewhere weird, horrible misspellings in emails, etc. To micromanage these tedious scammers it’s good to look at details and clues for legitimacy, trusting gut, the “too good to be true” offers, etc. She is very commendable for her effort for artists to stop being scammed.

I also reviewed the article Beware of vanity galleries, which is an article stressing advice in being careful when considering vanity galleries or any other exhibition. They have a lot of good experience when dealing with trustworthy and professional galleries as well as sketchy ones. Vanity galleries are very expensive, so having a good idea of prices is important, look out for instant fame, desperate galleries, look at all information and be sure to look deeper into the company, and not all artists groups/programs are expensive. Then I looked at “Is this another art scam, giving further advice on the subject. They say it’s good to help for the best, look for warning signs, take action, and stay informative. Then I looked at another article discussing the common misconceptions of art galleries. One misconception was saying “galleries are responsible for doing all the work and all the publicity for their shoes. All artists have to do is bringthe art”, but the reality is that artists must participate and be involved to have a successful show as well as a strong relationship with the gallery. Then another misconception was that all galleries are rich/lavish, when in truth it isn’t because of all the responsibility, costs and fees they have to cover. Then I took the final quiz and submitted the assignment. When I did it, I reviewed some information from earlier on how to sell art on etsy, then I went to find some art I had and set up my shop again. It took very long, but I did it and it was fun.

I took a look at two articles from the Where to connect to connect to clients online segment of how to sell your art. The first article was “How Art Consultants Can Help You Grow Your Art business.” This goes into detail about how the love for art alone isn’t enough to jet set the artists love for art. There is a business side as well that an artist will need guidance and mentorship through. They gave light into Lita Albuquerque’s experience with an art consultant and how they benefited her career. She described her experience as extraordinary because her attorney helped by understanding her, her art, the marketplace, networking, decision making and more into the business part of being an artist. Then for Keith Skiar, a mixed media artist who worked with an art consultant that was like a “critical advocate” to them meaning the consultant had the ability to strengthen his connection with his art and audience. He also got him opportunities with large curated collections like San Francisco MOMA. So, all in all an art consultant helps to stimulate creativity, constructive questioning, and advice that boosts their careers. Though there are some criticisms of having one because sometimes they want a large percentage of profit and aren’t clear with fees, controlling, and even sometimes they become too busy by taking on too much and neglecting the artist. But that isn’t enough to stay away from them, I think it’s best to discuss with them, ask questions and see if they resonate with the artist before just choosing on.

Then I looked at “Get your art Seen by interior designers” by Kirsten Nicholas. In this article they talked about something similar on the lines of the business part of being an artist can be hard and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be with proper guidance. Then they offered helping artists to find opportunities by connecting them with art buyers and how interior designers are in a large market. As we know interior designers help to design rooms and see what’s best fitting for the clients specific image and needs. Sometimes, this requires art, so this is where an artist comes in because they look to buy at galleries or local art shows.They list to look for some at online communities like etsy, artfirem paddle8, artsy and more. Then local places at organizations like ASIS or local galleries, art shows or the artist can reach out to interior designers that may resonate with their art by email. To get an idea of the designer, one can look at their online portfolio and reach out to see if their art is what the designer is looking for. Some tips they listed is to not just look trendy, but look for designers whose styles match there’s so it’s good to pay attention to details like pattern and color.

Then I looked at the various places beyond those articles to sell art and connect with potential clients. Fine art america is the world's largest marketplace that offers print on demand technology. The artist can upload images with their prices for print on demand products. This large platform caters to prints, wall art, home decor, greeting cards, lifestyle, apparel, tech and a lot more. They get 100% profit, can license the art and it’s a free sign up with a membership option for only $30/year. Then Etsy has a lot of hand made goods,vintage prints, necklaces, nails, beauty products and all types of stuff. Etsy is free, but there is a listing fee for each product and they take a part of the percentage of sales, Storenvy is another online marketplace where brands can make a costume store to sell stuff like fine art, jewelry, furniture, and music. To make an online store, it only takes a few minutes so it's very simple and flexible. I looked at a couple more like minted, Museum editions, art consulting services, DSA fine arts,Redbubble, Society6 and a lot more. They each had really pretty art and cool designs so I took a bit to look at different artists' works. I accidentally lost track of time. Then I took a quiz on where to sell your art. Then I looked at social networks and communities to showcase artwork. This includes Deviant art which is a very old one I'm familiar with, people can create design journals, upload art, tutorials, and there’s competition opportunities. Then there was ArtStation which is a platform for digital art, the artists online portfolio, networking, selling prints and a lot of types of art is sold there. There's even books, masterclasses, challenges and magazines. Then Ello which is a big art community where artists can promote their art, connect and enter competitions that offer cash prizes. There were other platforms like doodle addicts, behance, coroflot and more that have similar site layouts.

Then I looked at some mainstream resources like pinterest, Instagram where I follow so many artists, tumblr, Facebook (I don’t use it) and twitter - all of them are free. Pinterest gives people the opportunity to merge posts with their websites and resources. Instagram let’s people post about their art and whatever else, while being able to connect their online market with facebook. Facebook itself has a market place and then twitter can also help to connect artists with clients, promote and sell work. Then I took a quiz on art communities.

Sorry, my alarm didn’t go off today for some reason, so i ended up oversleeping. So I started work a little late around 8:30. I started off the day looking at a few articles, forgetting I wasn’t done with the previous section yet on how to sell your art. The first article was on art agents, it talked about considering if getting an art agent will be beneficial to one’s art career. There are many jobs in the art field like art director, art advisor/consultant, gallerist, interior designer (which I forgot to click on the quiz, I think) and more. An art agent helps an artist to “represent, promote and sell their work.” according to Agora. This includes negotiating, finding sponsors, industry contracts, safeguarding privacy, marketing and more. It’s good to consider by first thinking about short term and long term goals. The actual business side of art may be confusing, so it’s good to have someone to guide the artist throughout the process. Art agents can be self employed or a part of a company/gallery, Each have their own styles in place like doing more business things like invoices and schedules while other want to work on the long term career of their clients. All in all, there is much to consider with getting an art agent. To have a solid partnership it’s good for the client and agent to have exclusivity, contract duration, clear understanding of tasks, outlined decision making process, art broker commission, and responsibility of expenses to ensure efficiency, trust and avoid disagreements/confusion.

Then I explored more art careers. They talked about jobs that had a direct correlation with art. Fine artists create their own original artwork in various mediums. Rather than a functional approach to look appealing to others, they only do it so it is a piece of art. They can sell their work or work with other jobs to have a regular stable income. A qualification isn't needed, but it helps. Next is art gallery curator. They are in charge of the art works owned by a gallery or loan. Curators buy or borrow works then work on how to display them, explain them, promote, record keep and make sure the art work stays in good condition by overseeing staff. A degree is needed. Then there is an art therapist that helps people with mental health, addiction behavior, recovery, etc to help use art as a medium to express their feelings healthily and move forward. They work in hospitals, prisons, rehab and can work with specific types of people with certain conditions. So a degree is obviously needed in psychology, nursing or social work. There were others too like art teachers, art lecturer, art technician, valuer, auctioneer, illustrator and more. So there is a large array of careers out that sometimes don’t need a degree, but a lot do and it’s very helpful to have one.

Then I watched the business of arts advice on selling art on Facebook. The best way to do so is making a page, one can invite friends to look at and promote their page. Then upload content like photos of their art. Then post and add a description to a photo album, individual posts, prices for art/shipping, contact info, size and titles. There is also a link that can be shared to other people.There is also a shop now button and the link for any art for sale can be added there. Then an art auction can be held with the auction description, starting bid (min. price) when the bidding ends, when they pay and shipping terms. The people will comment bids in the comments and then you pick the winner, then reply. If they don’t message you, then you go to the next person. Then she gives advice on using instagram, pinterest, and twitter as other places to sell art on. Instagram is more so for visuals and short video clips. So you post art, add prices, and can put link into bio. One can set up a website, then every time an image is posted up, a notice can be posted in the instagram bio.One can set up a website, then every time an image is posted up, a notice can be posted in the instagram bio. But before doing so, male sure to take attractive and eye-catching photos. Pinterest is another popular platform for art. It’s basically a bulletin board for posts. One can create different boards with specific titles, so when searched for that post will pop up. Then other platforms can be posted as a link in the boards too. Twitter is more difficult as a selling medium, but it can be used to lure audiences to other platforms. Along with these platforms, one can use canva to get correct image sizes for each platform because the post sizes are different. Instagram is a square, pinterest rectangle and twitter more horizontal and long.

Alex tooby gives advice on making business on pinterest using her 7 step strategy. First is to make attractive pins with titles that perfectly describe what the post will be about. So anything that exists on a website that someone sells on can be made on pinterest as a link to it. It can be made on canva, adobe, or hired from fiverr. Then there are group boards - this is a group will people can add their own content to a certain board. Look at the group description because it will describe out and have instructions on how to join. Gather a lot to help promote inself - one can use pingroupie.com to find a specific pin. Then tailwind - can help with scheduling pins automatically. So design beforehand, upload and set best times + reposts and look at analytics. Then one can change their pinterest account into a business profile like on instagram to help with analytics. It’s good to keep track of pinterest and google. One can use it to see what pins make the most traffic and if the others don’t one can improve them and add to a different board. Given other people the option to save and share the pins to help with exposure.

She also had another video on creating a shoppable instagram feed. First one must make a shop on the instagram page and then link the instagram to it. She says to visit the shop tab first, set up shop, then it has checkout options on facebook or website. So the products are manually set up or transferred from the website layout. From Fb, then you go to settings then to instagram tab and connect the two apps or vice versa. Then on the posts, the shop's products can be tagged to them. In the business tab , there's a shop with the shop settings. Before tagging products, the image should have the product being showcased in it.The tag can be moved and edited, up to 5 pictures can be added. When someone’s feed is opened, one can see a mini shopping bag and know right away that a product in the photo is shoppable. Then how to increase instagram followers. She also had a workshop on how to increase followers, when doing so it is good to determine who the ideal follower/audience is. Then, to get those followers they must be exposed to the content. This starts with optimizing the headline with key words so when someone searches it, that picture pops up. Then engage with people with specific audiences like with tags. That includes encouraging the audience like with polls, questions and quizzes to increase engagement. One must also be relatable and honest. Vulnerability helps with support. She also added a free course at the end as well. After this I looked at an article from the next art lesson by accident, but I mentioned it earlier in this submission and I took the quiz.

Today I continued How to sell art online. I started off with reading two articles about getting corporate clients and getting my art scene/recognized. A lot of corporate markets allow artists to have the opportunity to showcase their art which helps get them recognition and grow their business. Though, it seems a bit intimidating to approach organization to companies, the article gave a good breakdown on how to do so. There are many ways to sell art, but it’s good to consider the corporate market because of its exposure to potential clients who may not even be attending the gallery if it catches their attention. So this is a good start for networking and when being introduced to the company, there’s a possibility of meeting the owner. That's why it’s good to brush up on communication skills because establishing a good relationship with them can help in the future for more venues. But if an offer comes, they specify on making sure it truly values the art work being put out. It’s also good to be professional, on time and have details read for the art piece like size, cost breakdowns and availability. I remember from the article before, that’s why they specified on understanding if an art work will be limited or unlimited.It’s also good to pick an audience reflective of the art work, this will attract them better. Like one piece of art at a medical office may be different from another at a clothing store. Finally, getting intouch with an art consultant helps a lot because they can introduce the artists to collectors, corporations and places to sell the art. Also, they can guide the artist on the details of contracts, payment, transpo, insurance, etc.

Then, the article selling your art to corporations expanded on the same concept in more detail. Basically it talks about finding the right corporation to sell art for. So it’s good to consider if that art will reflect the company's image, does it spark productivity and is it attractive, etc. Corporations usually buy art from inside personnel from art galleries or art consultants, which is why it’s good to have one. One can make a contract with the corporation by finding information out about the company online, or by phone call. Then they can ask names of the companies personnel and inquire on the process of getting their art recognized. Then it’s good to have a portfolio with the art, the prices, details, size and personal bio. Then after making connections it’s good to find the best companies to sell art to and how it will enhance the environment. Also it’s good to start small at smaller businesses or places that the individual may frequent and stay consistent.

Then I watched a couple of videos on how to start an art business. These youtubers had similar tips but each had very good points that I will keep note of. Jordan Clark's starts by pointing out that it’s good to have a lot of money saving up, it doesn’t have to be a lot just something. This can be used for supplies, products, shipping, website, etc. So you also have to think about what type of art you can sell, so if someone doesn’t have a lot of money they can design digital prints somewhere. Then the platform is important too, so through your own website or online store like etsy. Then once a steady stream of income comes in, you can use shopify, but it has a subscription so thats why its good to to start small. Then, marketing online is very important so it’s good to pick one or two social media platforms like instagram or youtube, but don’t push to sell, try to influence them with sharing it and make fun things that the audience would like. Then there’s the legal side, taxes, financing, bookkeeping. It’s good to start buy doing your own research or consulting a professional. The department of revenue website has the requirements to start a business, so it’s a must to follow them. Then start on business structure, which is picking the type of business style - it may depend on state, city, town. The file is taxed as usual, but as an income and then a portion of money made must be put into taxes in a quarterly year. Then there’s paperwork like spreadsheets to keep track of income and expenses - supplies can be taxed. Then there’s the shipping side - one must consider the best mode of transportation for the specific product - USPS can be used best for smaller objects, digital will be saved straight to device after payment, then if it’s a shop like etsy or shopify there’s resources for shipping. Then buy a shipping label, put it in a mailbox or shipping office and weigh it.

Ellen Brenneman Studio, talked a lot about the same things and the struggles of starting a business. She said she didn’t know how to do marketing which is why it’s good to do research. She then talked about how the artist must define oneself and what type of art they will put out. Like prints, merchandise, commissions, etc. What’s the driving motivation factor and message wanted to be put out to make a connection with the audience? Then again, the platform as previously discussed. Even more like society6, so one has to do research on what’s best for them. Then again, the platform and prioritizing social engagement. Only pick the platforms that best reflect the product being sold. Too many at once, will be an overload and some be neglected unless there’s extra help. It’s also good to plan ahead so make a business model and consider all of these things.

M. Falconer had the same points as well but she specifies that one must actually want to start an art business before doing so. So it takes passion and dedication to ensure the success of the business. Like any business, it takes time and discipline because the reality is - the artist won’t make money right away. Then as discussed before, find the right audience on a certain platform online. Doing galleries is starting to not be as popular because social media is super popular nowadays. One also has to recognize that this is a competitive artist, so it’s good to find one niche and stick with it otherwise it can confuse the audience. So that means sticking to one type of artistry like prints, painting or photography or I think someone can make separate accounts fir these individual things, but it’s good not to overload oneself. Then a business plan, as discussed before so that’s why it’s good to plan ahead and do research. Define where the business should go. Then connections, revenue streams, key competitors, marketing style etc.

Then Stephan Van Kyuk did a free webinar on how to maximize that artistic talent - so he talks about basically what everyone else has talked about: knowing your product, promotions, print on, networking, personal sales, packing/shipping/ and then he offered a free course. I liked this unit a lot. It was very fun and liberating after the stock trading unit, though I really want to learn. It was a lot to unpack at once and I feel like I need more time to master those skills. I felt like I had to rush since I was really slow with that section, so I wanted to really show I was putting the time in and it was really hard. This unit was easier to understand, I've just always been nervous to sell art and I lost my creativity/ art style some time ago, but lately I’m starting to have fun with it again.

Today I completed the trading/investing unit. I then did the assignment and predicted the movement of 10 stocks that I'm familiar with. It was submitted and I shared a link with it. I decided to move on to my next elective. I decided to look into selling art online, mainly because I am more familiar with art. I did it last year, but I wanted to try to sell something different to see if I can actually make sales this time. I don’t have a lot of resources to promote such products, but I may look into selling digital products online too.

In the How to sell art online research, I was given advice to do research and analyze the best way to sell my art. It is good to stay consistent if selling art amongst different platforms, like selling the same artwork for the same price on etsy then patreon. It’s only fair because that could turn potential buyers away. It is also good to stay organized by keeping track of where art works are sold. Then, promoting products helps a lot as well. I hope to sell some digital wallpapers instead this time.

When selling art, it is good to promote on social media so it can get more recognition. I looked at a few tops by magnify studio about the do’s and don’ts of art promotion. #1 was to instead of trying to convince people to buy the art work. It’s better to just make it available to them. Such examples are pushy sellers who are like buy this, download it now and constantly promote the same thing. Communication is key, so it’s better to be like hey this is available on my site. If you’d like to check it out, along with my other artwork click this link below and also give a thumbnail preview of what it is. This goes hand in hand with his next tip “Don’t spam, be strategic” So it’s best not to constantly post about it instead make two efficient posts to promote the product. To do so, one must pick good timing. This can be found within the account analytics. There is an algorithm showing the most constant interactions at whatever time, that’s the time to choose.

Next he says to not just post, but it’s good to put in some dialogue. So be more friendly, than business-like. Communication is like hey i posted this and ask a question relevant to it or about them. It is also good to post on other platforms relevant to the product posted, but not only should it be posted again the post should be different. Along with this, show your personality as a person. Like if you’re funny, for captions you can put jokes that are appropriate and captivating. It’s also good to do live streams or even tell your story. I also learned about the 4 p’s of selling art by Clark Kegley. First is promise, it is good to catch the audience, clients, interviewers etc attention within the first 5 seconds. This is the hook. Next is the picture, this is where emotions come into play. Here you are giving a picture in the audience's mind about the product rather than being like buy mine because my product is better than the competitions. Next is proof, this is showing this better than telling. It is more trustworthy and eye-catching. Next is the pitch aka the call to action. One must carry out the first few steps though, because without catching the attention of the people, it won’t work. Give them one thing you want them to - like at the end of the post one can put please check out my album and if you like to share or please like and subscribe to my channel, greatly appreciative of that.

I also reviewed the ultimate guide for selling art. Before just sling anything, it’s better to figure out what type of artwork you are going to sell. This could be digital art, paintings, prints or even clothes. Then oneself has to figure out if it’s going to be a limited time thing like a certain design on clothes or unlimited, meaning it will stay.Then, how to print out this art has to be figured out as well. There is DIY printing, where someone has a high quality printer at home with enough resources. There’s printing companies that will most likely charge, but they may have discounts for bulk printing. The con here is, everything will have to be packaged and printed by the artist themself. Then there’s print on command companies where they’re working closely together with the online store and once an order is put it’s automatically printed and shipped. Before doing so, one must check the company's printing quality and assurance that the art will be shipped directly to customers. Then depending on art type, one has to figure out how to photograph and scan art. So if it’s 3D art it’s better to photograph, but with 2D it’s better to scan.

Then one has to build their brand, it should represent the individual as a whole and the art. so it’s good to create a meaningful and attractive name. Then a brand story, mission, values, communication and assets. Then one has to figure out art pricing, the way to figure this out is determining time and labor costs, materials and extra, then profit. This also includes figuring out the hourly wage. Then the last few points were to figure out store design and themes. This should reflect the brand and art type. Associated with selling art online one has to find a good printing service, portfolio app, social media and product pages. One can even expand it by selling art in person at museums, galleries, pop ups, etc. There isn’t a limit. So to effectively promote art as discussed before, there is social media, In addition, the artist can run ad campaigns, engage, contests, discounts, networking, marketing, SEO and even offline marketing. Then to protect the artists brand, there is another legal side, One must be sure to not plagiarize and they need copy protection. There are copyright lawyers out there to help as well.

Today I learned a lot about commodities, they were very easy to understand vs the last few trading strategies and it wasn’t as lengthy so I was able to complete this within a few hours. The terms weren't as confusing either. I read articles, watched a few videos to learn the risks, ins and outs of commodity trading and then took a quiz. A commodity is essential raw materials that are used in everyday life. They can be used to produce food, agricultural products, mineral ores and fossil fuels. This includes oil, wheat, electricity, beeg gas, etc. Hard commodities are materials from the earth like metals, ore, petroleum. Soft commodities are things that are agricultural products -likewheat, cotton, coffee, sugar, corn. But the type traded in markets are traded, sold and bought as important assets. Commodities are sold and purchased through future contracts standardizing the quantity and quality of the asset. Investopedia expresses that there are two types of traders who carry out this contract. First are buyers/producers of the commodities that use the contract for hedging purposes. They make a delivery of the physical commodity when the contract expires.The second are speculators that trade commodities only to make profit by taking advantage of price volatility. One must take into consideration inflation, as we are going through that now and this is the best time for investors to use it for their protection. The demand for supply means a skyrocket of goods and services which commodities are used for. A big influence for this are economic shocks, natural disasters and investor appetite.

CMC markets presented some ways to trade commodities. The steps are to first open an account. Then choose an asset in the commodity market. Deciding to buy or sell depending on market analysis. Next is to enter a trade size for spread betting or unit amount. Then managing risk like with stop orders. It’s a must to monitor position and finally close position. The spread trading strategy is taking opposite positions in the same or various markets. It’s lower risk than future contracts due to decreased market volatility. These are affected by seasons and so traders can take advantage of the bull market.A popular asset traded through commodities are gold and energy. Gold is attractive because since its discovery from the Californian rush it’s been seen as a symbol of wealth and compared to other materials it’s a safer choice amongst other assets.It has a direct relationship with the US dollar because if people gravitate to that currency more, the price of gold drops. Then energy is important because renewable energy added interest to things like gas, heating oil and gasoline. The direct relationship between these and the price of energy are world events, oil markets and politics.

Like anything else, it’s good for the trader to find strategies that work for them. For a beginner like me, these strategies would be good to look into and practice. It is good to use technical analysis, buying when prices are low and selling high with practice. Then break out trading where the commodity is bought just before price spike and sell just before price decreases for markets with strong trends.When carrying out this strategy it is good to look out for markets that have weaker, short term trends. It is also important to look at financial news and articles regarding commodities because they can have additional tips for beginners or skills to pick up on. Range trading includes looking at support and resistance levels of charts. So one would buy at the support level (bottom) then sell at resistance (top), which is also known as buying low, selling high. It is important to look out for overselling and over buying within these ranges because it affects market price. To mitigate that it’s good to look at relative strength index, stochastics, momentum and rate of change. Then there’s fundamental trading that used technical analysis and fundamental indicators. These are based on idiosyncratic risk instead of more technical analysis like the other strategies. This strategy requires a lot more research because it takes a lot of factors into play like how well a crop will grow due to weather conditions. So this is probably time consuming, long term and needs patience.

Risks of commodities include high leverage on future markets. This small margin has a big responsibility due its effect on a large market. So the risk to reward ratio comes into play because a trader can make a lot of money, but also lose a lot. They are also really volatile because in short periods of times these assets prices can multiply. Another factor that comes into play is the traders inexperience. A lot of people jump into trades without knowing anything about commodities and it’s often influenced by trends or people saying how easy it is on social media. Then there’s emotional influence where people are unable to accept a loss and make even riskier decisions due to a temporary emotion. That decision will hurt them even more, like people will borrow money to make up for their losses, lose it and end up going into debt.To manage risk it’s good to remember that losing is only a part of the process, that’s why you invest what you can afford to lose and it’s not good to borrow money knowing the risk factor. If this type of trading is too stressful, then it isn’t good to do it. There are also unforeseen risks that a trader wouldn’t expect, again its an extremely volatile market so one should be cautious. There are natural disasters, unexpected weather, government policies, news, etc. Since this is expected for everyone, inexperienced or experienced it’s good to be prepared because risk can’t be completely eliminated. So that’s why it is good to do research, analyze the market, practice and spend what you can afford to lose. It’s also good to note that one shouldn’t be spending their entire income on trading, to have enough for daily expenses. One should invest on multiple platforms for portfolio diversification and to offset risk. There’s also stop loss order to sell a contract when the amount dips to a certain point, to not lose a lot or lock in profit.

Today I reviewed information before I took the quiz. I reviewed articles talking about what options are, the risks and strategies to mitigate risk. As for anything, stocks or trading comes with a risk. The reason why companies/investors use contracts as a hedge is to reduce risk and limit price fluctuation. Sometimes trades use options to speculate price or sell insurance to hedgers, so that becomes risky when options are used that way. The cons of buying an option is the price paid for the premium. Then for a put, is the limited value of the stock. To offset risk, it’s good to make a covered call that is used to protect against small price movements or a protective put for a risk management strategy that uses options contracts to protect from loss of owning the asset.

Another way is by calculating risks and gaining leverage. For options this means, to use the same amount of money to get a bigger position. For example, if $10 is put into a stock, it isn’t the same amount for an option. Note, that the purpose of the option is to bet on whether the stock itself is going to go up and down. So there’s a difference in stock price and strike price. Another definition is to maintain the same sized position by spending less money, which is a strategy used by many successful options traders. So, it’s best to interpret the numbers of a stock price/shares and option contracts as an alternative to buying the share. One must do a conventional risk calculation, where instead of buying the actual stock one can put in an option for less money, but control the number of shares too. The profit earned has a lot of growth opportunity because it allows for greater diversification, which is good for avoiding volatility. It can sit in a trading account and earn money market rates, along with interest. So one can collect dividends. An alternative risk calculation is to balance cost and size. This is done by doing a stop loss order which is an order to buy or sell a security in case it gets to a certain point, limiting investors loss or capturing profit. Which is less risky for options because with a stock, stop orders don’t protect from gap openings.

Another way to limit risk is by finding a strategy that works for the trader, to get a bigger return.These strategies include, covered call, married put, bull call spread, bear put spread, protective collar, long straddle, long strangle, long call butterfly spread, Iron Condor and Iron butterfly. I also reviewed part 6 and 7 of the advanced trading series by Raunak A. Part 6 talked about Bull call spread. This is a type of vertical spread created by buying call options at a strike price while selling options of the money call options and combining them at the money call options. So this is a two legged strategy where the trader buys one ATM call option and sells 1 OTM call option.. The stock and index remain the same while the expiration date for both options stay the same. This is beneficial for a bullish market. In part 7, he discussed the Call ratio back spread. This is where 2 OTM call options are bought and 1 in the money call option is sold aka the three legged strategy maintaining a 2:1 ratio. The stock and index is maintained, as is the expiry series. This outlook is also bullish.

To sum up, the best way to avoid these risks is to always research before just buying anything, then analyzing whether to put a call or put. This is important because the purpose of options is pretty much to guess whether or not a stock will go up or down before a date, but it's not to be done blindly.

Today I went into more depth with trading options. I finished the second half of the option trading for beginners youtube video by project finance. That took about an hour and 15 minutes I believe. The content here and options trading strategy by Raunak A were very similar. They talked about Strike price In options called ATM, ITM AND OTM. ATM is an at the money option this is where the strike price and the stock price are at the same level(or close to) for call and put. ITM is an in the money option that goes above 11000, meaning there is an opportunity to gain money. So there is intrinsic value. Call option will have a strike price below the stock, then the opposite for put option. Then, OTM is out of the money, the opposite of ATM. This is where the stock price is below the strike price for a call, then above the strike price for a put. So this has extrinsic value meaning there isn’t any intrinsic value.This helps someone to understand what type of strike to put because it shows the difference between a strike and stock price revealing its intrinsic value. Between this time i resubmitted my Linkedin ID, I forgot I had changed my name on the profile and didn’t realize it changed the link as well.

Then we explored another level of options price where it’s a shorting option strategy giving me the option to bet against an option. So at one level, I’d sell short, then buy again at another level to get profit back. Essentially, short options are when the opening trade is sold - so I don’t own it anymore. Then I gain the premium entering the trade and I get to pay less when closing the trade. So, the difference between the entry premium when I enter the trade and the exit premium closing the trade is where I get my profit. Furthermore, short calls have unlimited loss potential - so there is a risk because there isn’t a limit to how much I can lose. To receive maximum profit, where I can get the most out of it is to get the premium from the start. Then there’s a break even point where the intrinsic value is equal to the sale price of the option. Any amount above this point, will not return any profits once it expires.

Short put options are an opposite concept. When I sell a put option I don’t own that opening trade. This is a bullish strategy because the relationship between a put price and the stock price is when the stock price increases, the put price decreases and vice versa. The risk that comes with this is that

Then I learned about Implied volatility where Implied means expected and volatility means ho0w much the stock price changes. This goes deeper into the extrinsic value of a stock - the higher this value is the more implied volatility there is. So option prices play a huge part in this. Lastly I learned about exercising options - a trader has two options to exercise or convert an option. Any option with an extrinsic value of one penny or more is in thw money, these options will be exercised right away. But, in most cases he says not to worrry tooo much about this because It rarely happens. As he specified in the beginning. Then he introduced a platform called tastyworks and demonstrated the four trading stategys of options - He also went into depth about what type of stocks to loom for when trading. Just because each stock has options doesn’t mean they should be traded. Like anything else - it’s good to analayze first before just jumping In. So any great option market has high active popular stocks/ETFS that have high open interest, volume and narrow volume. Some good markets have stocks with a lot of daily share volume in the millions, but those types are better.

I wrote a four paragraph response, but for some reason the site glitched and my whole response was deleted, again. This has happened to me monday as well, but this time I didn’t save my response in a word document, so I will sum up what I said. Today I learned about REITS and options trading.

A REIT is a real estate investment trust. This is where a company owns, manages and finances income generating real estate. REITS are traded like stocks, but they have high liquidity. REITS allows an investor to invest in real estate without having to tangibly take care of the property. These properties can include apt. Buildings, cell towers, data centers, hotels, medical facilities offices, retail and warehouses. For a reit, a space is leased and the rent collected from those properties are distributed as dividends for the shareholders. I learned one type of reit called equity REIT where the property is owned and has real estate that produces real estate. Benefits of REITS are dividends, not having to actually take care of the property, low minimums, passive income, liquidity, low stock market correlation, etc. I may invest in REITS at a later time because it is a really hard and in depth topic even for me. Though I was always curious about what investing in real estate is like, so now I have some basic understanding of it.

Then I learned about options. Options are stocks where the right to buy or sell a stock at a specific date is bought without ownership/share of the company. Unlike stocks where the purpose is to buy or sell a stock for profit and you get a share of that company. There are two investment choices with options, call and puts. A call lets you buy a stock at a specific price on or before the expiration date in hopes the asset increases above the strike place.Them, put is the opposite where you have the right to sell shares of a stock in hopes it decreases under the strike price. Some terms I learned are strike price, as mentioned where there is a contract made for an option holder to buy or sell the stock. The expiration date is the day that contract expires and it is no longer tradable. Lastly is option premium where this is the price paid for an option contract. Stocks are best for beginner, long term and hands off investors while options

Are for active/experienced and advanced investors. Benefits of stocks are that they require less attention and for some stocks, the shareholder can receive dividends while options don’t. But they have a possibility for greater returns and a way to evade market volatility. Cons of stocks are potential loss and slower returns while options need more effort and there is increased risk.

This was a lot easier to understand than REITS. I think I will keep improving my skills with trading in stocks first then edge into options for now. You can own all three to help diversify your portfolio and decrease risk of loss in profit as a whole. I also watched half a lengthy video tutorial on options trading for beginners. It went more into depth of the information I learned today in the articles provided. It even included the terms I learned today with examples, example options trading using TSLA stock. Expanded on buy and call. Then introduced me to intrinsic value which is the difference between stock price and call strike price or put strike price and stock price. Then extrinsic value aka time value is the part of an options price that goes above intrinsic price allowing for more profit later on before expiration.

I will watch more on monday to gain a better understanding of this free demo.

I know now the process necessary for having a successful remote job. First comes the onboarding process that introduces new employees to the company. This way they can get used to the process of how the company runs. You get introduced, offer letter, documents to fill out for personal documentation and company policy. Then background checks, credit checks, education and employment verification. Then afterwards, once everything is complete the final forms and direct deposit, benefits, trainings, and etc.

Then the team sometimes does meetings and collaboration, in this case for remote learning it is done via zoom. Zoom allows people to mute, turn/off on video, comment, have virtual background and share content from video. It is essential to have some. sort of communication even for remote learning to ensure team work, project effiency, and good connections. Then there's scheduling apps like calendly, doodle, google calendar and stuff to ensure the team meet deadlines and that everything is going smoothly. Like any relationship, communication is key.

In order to maintain a good working experience. it is best to make sure that you do whatever you're assigned to do in a timely manner. Make sure you do whats in your capabilities and not take on extra to avoid burn out. In order to avoid conflict, it is best to maintain good communication as mentioned before and also be respectful/professional to co worker/supervisors. But, do not accept any bad treatment and let yourself get taken advantage of. It is good to set boundaries and admit that you don't have the time. I know the best way to avoid tension is by talking it out and it may be harder to do so digitally, but an open space to talk should be provided. When having a conversation with others about any issues, it's good to do it in a calm, concise manner than to be passive aggressive. Anything in these conversation should be kept private between the parties involved to ensure confidentiality and trust.

Next, I went on to job interviews and learned a lot of valuable advice. The first step to expect in the job process is an interview. This is a good way to touch base with a potential candidate to see their background, skills and experience and see if they fit in with the job description. A meeting time and date will be scheduled. Make sure to keep a reminder in order to make sure you're on time. If any problems arise, it's best to communicate in advance to reschedule.

To get the upper hand, it's good to know some important information about the company. This can be found on the website, social media or wherever else to find out the mission of the company, it's goals and importance. Make sure that you can do what's in the job description and that you have the qualifications to do so. This way, you look qualified to the interviewer. Make sure to listen more than talk so that it shows that you are genuinely engaging with the recruiter. It is also good to leave out any salary commands until a bit later in the hiring process to avoid looking money hungry. Some other advice I learned is to practice interview questions to create really good responses and be prepared, take notes and hold any questions for the best time to ask.

I mainly looked at more job readiness skills and took quizzes in these sections, successful remote learning, beware of scams and made sure to finish up the money section. Now i will return to my electives and gain more valuable skills.

Today I learned about the scams of remote learning. There are a lot of people who take full advantage of the fact that remote learning is more popular than ever right now. So it is good to be careful of anything suspicious about job ads. It is good to read the fine print, for anything in the case they ask for very personal information before the interview or any type of payment. If there are any fees up front or later, i should immediately think red flag. Same with any offer, "if it sounds too good to be true" then it is. Like if someone was selling a cheaper watch that appears good quality for $500 when it was originally $80-100, it could be as stated not of the best quality. Even worse it could be stolen or damaged. Another thing is if the position you're applying for has a higher alarming salary than usual or most jobs than it's probably too goof to be true. Even if, a job is asking for a high level position at a company with no prior experience or qualifications it is an indicator of a scam. Another thing to consider is to stay away from jobs that say investment opportunities, unlimited learning potential or quick seminars. Then I took a quiz on it. Next I searched through my social media pages on Facebook, instagram, tiktok, linkedin and youtube to help promote techie youth. I watched and reviewed techie youth content outside of the website, so It took me awhile to do. So I provided links to each account and submitted that assignment. Next, I realized that I accidentally skipped a lesson on successfully working remote, so I reviewed some articles and videos on effective remote ,meetings, Ted Talk, and partially watched leadership 101 on what not to do as a boss since I ran out of time. I will review the rest of the content tomorrow, take the quiz and hopefully move on to the next section so I can switch back to my elective.

Today, I focused on seeing what I needed to finish up in the How to earn money everywhere segment. I finished some parts of the online banking segment and decided to stick with I already know Paypal, Cashapp, Zelle and my personal Bank. Then, I reviewed some content from the other day. I worked on building my resume, Cover letter and LinkedIn Profile. Building my resume helped to organize my work experience, education and skills. I realize that I need to keep updating my resume on a regular basis because now I have a couple of certfications I should showcase. Then I worked on my Cover letter, I am a nervous writer so it took me longer than I anticipated. But I believe as a beginner, It came out well and I hope to receive positive feedback. Then I worked on my cover letter, it is a bit basic at the moment, but it highlights my experience as a previous techie youth/SYEP participant. I will continue to improve it going forward. So, all of these things are submitted to the Intro Assignment. I had written a submission for yesterday Monday July 18, 2022. But somehow it vanished and my inactivity shows 13 hours, but I submitted my what I did that day at about 1:00pm. Thankfully, I wrote my submission in a work document in order to avoid major typos. So I will copy and paste here for proof.

Monday. Jul 18, 2022

Today I further expanded my knowledge on Remote work. There are different types of remote work like distributed workforce where everyone at the company works remotely. Work at home, where the individual works at home. Virtual job or online, where it’s from a virtual office. Work from anywhere indicates that the job has multiple locations and the agile workforce with the company is more flexible with its work options. It is important to look at the job description like any other job, to ensure that the right one is picked for you. There are different requirements each job requests and there may be location restrictions such as legalities ( license requirements or gov’t regulations), taxes in certain states, travel complications, and client meetings. Well beware of scams like secret shopping, product testing/reshopping and rebate processing. A family member of mine has fallen for this scam because they were testing products and I didn’t understand it either. It seemed like it was legit but after the first mail out, the package went missing and he didn’t receive pay at all. So if I was to do a remote/virtual job in the future I now know what to do. Furthermore, I visited various apps that had different styles of presenting jobs and resources. A lot of jobs included Engineering, software development, and higher up jobs like senior developer. But I also saw at home receptionist or medical assistant jobs as well. I like demoting because of the shiba inu dog aesthetic. I liked Remote l Ok because of the color coded jobs and they show what is popular/new/verified. There was also another site that had an option to help calculate salary so whoever can get the most out of their salary as well. I don’t know what it’s called because I accidentally closed it while going through the various apps. There was also another one that offered free lance opportunities, which is good for those wanting to advocate for themselves. Then there was another site called Kaplan that I know of. I liked it because it had a lot of preparation for certain careers, like nursing which is what I’m currently pursuing. So I may take advantage of their Nursing Test prep. I also learned more about networking, which I’ve already touched based on but there were further tips that were eye opening. I remember mostly not just networking in order to get something, build a relationship first so both parties can mutually benefit in the future. Which is very true because it encourages a good reputation for me as I’m reaching out to them. It also helps with trust and not making the other person feel used. There is plenty of other advice like not only networking when working, it is good to always make genuine and meaningful connections for future benefit instead of pure desperation. It is good to also be able to offer help to the other person when they're in need, so it's a mutual benefit relationship. Otherwise why should that person help me? If a situation arises where I can’t, it’s better to be honest. It is also good to follow up and touch base with that person in order to keep the connection going on a regular basis. Also I agree that its good to be open to various connections regardless of status because even if someone may just be a secretary rather than a CEO, that person may have the skills to help me. Also it’s good to meet in real life when possible too, because we’re stuck in such a digital era but it’s good to offer at least a small get together at a cafe or whatever both parties are interested in to deepen the connection. Public events can even be held to ensure better connections.

Today I learned how to prepare a resume, cover letter and something more interesting a resuletter. A resume is something that showcases your skills, accomplishments, education and work experience.It is typically one page and summed up in a chronological precise and relevant order for your employer to look at. Though, there are different sty;es of resume's such as Chronological, Functional and Combination. For Chronological/Combination you list your key relevant job experiences. A Functional/combination resume highlights your strengths and skills that bring out your uniqueness and strong qualities as a employee. I've heard of cover letters, but i've never personally done one. They make me nervous, but i'm excited to do one for the assignment continuing on Monday. A cover letter is like a resume, but it's more so a one page summary that sets an introduction for your resume. It encapsulates the skills, qualities, education and experience with the added explanation as to why you're the perfect candidate for the job. So it's more personal. I've also been introduced to resu-letter which reminds me of a cover letter, but instead it's a structured summary of the resume relevant to what a company is looking for. Like more specifically if the employer is looking for a resume an history of salary, this is the perfect time to put that all together. Then the actual resume comes after during the interview process. It is beneficial because it sets someone differently from all the other candidates, so I may definitely use this in the future.

Today I learned about Remote working. Remote working is done online at home or anywhere suitable at a distance from the main working site. This allows flexibility with peoples schedules, home life or anything that's hard to schedule. I find this would be a good job option for those who are physically disabled at home like in wheelchair so they wouldn't have to worry about travel too much. With the added flexibility you can travel, take care of family members or even have more time for hobbies. There are many types of remote jobs such as Graphic Design, Copy writer, proofreader, and even call center. From what I've seen you can make a good living off of it, but it can be hard to stay disciplined especially at home. Which is why it is a must to have a dedicated work space free of distractions, stay out of pajamas and to focus solely on the job. Techie youth e learn is the perfect remote job for me because it doesn't require calls or anything like that. I don't have the privacy or quiet space to call or do customer service, but I do have the time to watch videos, answer questions and read articles. Another thing I know about is banking. I already have a bank account, which is used to store money through a bank. There are many types of ban accounts like online, rewards, high yield, etc, but for now I prefer basic. I know the features associated like Zelle, Overdraft protection, College banking. It's very easy to maintain and use if you're responsible with it. Which is why I always monitor my balance, how my money is being used and making sure enough is available for my bills, necessities and wants.

Today I learned about being in control of your emotions. When someone says something to you that you don't like, such as saying you're ugly or your outfit doesn't look good, the only thing you can control in that moment is yourself. When you decide to react in a negative way, like saying it to them back, choosing violence, revenge, etc.. you are giving them the power to control you. So that is something I have been working on quite a lot because a friend of mine said something baffling to me and I was almost super upset because I have had the greatest day. I passed my exam and got entry into my clinicals after being so stressed and anxious, then boom. But instead I decided not to let it bother me, I took a break from them for a few days, and re--evaluated myself like am i really gonna let them ruin my day? After calming down I felt so much better and continued with my day as usual. Then I learned about mentors, who are professionals who help those that are less experienced. They can be a professional, teacher, role model who reflects what you're trying to be good at. I dont have a mentor per se, but i have someone in my life willing to take the time out to prepare me for nursing school and guide me using her experience. So, in a way She kind of is like my mentor and im extremely grateful for her giving me the upper hand.

Today I learned a lot about time management and productivity. Time management is when you take the time out to focus on tasks in a specific time period to avoid over working your self, to stay organized, decreases stress levels and that all plays out to increase productivity. I often struggle with this because some days I feel motivated and can stick to a schedule and some days not. I am currently recovering from covid, so i have been experiencing a cloudy mind and less motivation which has caused the things I know i needed to do for myself to be pushed to the back burner. But watching these videos today helped me a lot. I learned a couple of tips today that I will take with me. A few of these tips include, taking breaks in between tasks, putting away distractions like my phone or the tv, focusing on one thing at a time and more. I am guilty of multitasking and now knowing that it actually does the body more harm than good because it decreases IQ levels is very alarming. I do often get over loaded, so I need to just tell myself to relax sometimes. I looked at the various apps for scheduling time and I find them all very helpful. I liked Canva because of the variations of templates and the freedom of design. I also liked how I could add text as if I was actually writing on paper. The remember the milk one is very cute, I liked it cause of simplicity and it reminds me of the reminder app I use on my phone. Though, I know I will become disorganized very quickly with it because even though I have a bunch of lists and everything is separate I get overwhelmed easily and end up confusing tasks. So visuals play a huge part like with toggle plan and the color coded time blocks or the

Kanban board. For the time management assignment i listed what I did and had tp do throughout the day and that really helped keep my mind together.

Today I learned a lot about bettering my quality of life financially. Though, I am already aware of the need to budget and define what i really need in life over wants, My view on these things have expanded. I do not know much about cars. nor do I drive, but I learned from superspeedersRob that it's better to get a cheaper car that's gonna last me awhile and not need to much maintenance vs a new car that may depreciate quickly. Personally, I like how certain new cars look, but he has a point. So I will be watching that video again closer to when I finally get a car and search for something worth it. I also learned from leadership 101, my own personal value. When it comes to investing, negotiating, budgeting or anything similar I have to know my own recourses and how much I can avoid to spare. I learned the power of talking things through instead if just simply accepting the value of something just because that offer is there. I now know to only give up what I can and to not go beyond my means. It is hard for me to budget, though I try again and again, but hopefully I can find something useful as I continue these lessons.

Today I learned about coinbase. Coin base is another platform to buy, sell, transfer, and store digital currency like Robinhood. I was told to download it and create an account, which I already had. Then I watched a review on coin base, coinbase pro and it was compared to other crypto exchanges like FTX. Coin base has no headquarters, it was established in 2012. Their regulations are applicable with laws and jurisdiction. They have. A money transmission license and are registered with FinCEN. Their pro version is bigger, has better features like advanced trading techniques, stop order, limit order, less fees, more crypto support, etc. Overall, it’s a convenient platform for trading digital currency and I like it because it offers videos to explain how to trade, what’s recommended, etc. I learned about forex which is a global marketplace for trading currencies for profit. Like the US dollar being traded for Japanese Yen. It has a lot of liquidity due to the large amounts of money being graded everyday. When trading the currency will be in pairs like USD/JPY. Then I watched a video of a beginners experience of trading forex, it was relatable and seemed really hard. I see you have to look at the chart trend and analyze before just going into something. It's very detailed oriented and a lot of math seems to be involved like with lot size or price margin. There’s also a trading game that helps further develop your trading skills called the trading games an other beginner friendly platforms.

Today I learned about cryptocurrencies. These are an encrypted virtual currency that is decentralized and controlled by block chain. Being decentralized means it isn't controlled by a bank/third party. As mentioned before, it is centralized by a blockchain where it keeps records of transactions like when Bitcoin is bought or sold. It is designed to be hard to hack or messed with, like a bank account could be easily tapped into. Each "Block" has a specific code that cannot be copied or use for negligent reasons by anyone. The most popular type of crytpocurrency is bitcoin created by Satoshi Nakamoto. I believe it is also the first type of digital currency and there are many others like dogecoin and etherium. There is also bitcoin mining where it keeps track if each bitcoin transaction (block chain). This is done by a lot of powerful computers coming together to race against other miners to attempt to guess a specific number. Not a lot of money is made by this and it's hard to be done. The first miner to guess wins new bitcoins.

Today I learned about various stocks. A stock is pretty much an investment that represents a share of a bigger company. You can make money, but it comes with a risk which is why you only purchase an amount you can afford to lose. There are different types of stocks like preferred where you can get a fixed dividend. Then, common stock the dividend isn’t guaranteed, but you get voting rights. Then I learned about the stock exchange, the various times, after hours and best times to buy. A good tip I learned is to buy low, sell high. I also learned about Robinhood, which I already have an account with. You can set up automatic payments, there are EFTS, from what I remember it’s beneficial because each company involved has to meet a certain criteria otherwise if it’s bankrupt or something similar it’ll be replaced with a better company. I also learned how to identify certain stocks with its Tickr symbol and I learned a lot of terms like a bear market which means the stock trend is downward. Then a bullmarket, when the trend goes upwards. There was a lot of information to take in, but I’ll continue to review to ensure I can memorize the information.