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10,000 Women by Goldman Sach’s (Free Online Course on Business): Review by a Mompreneur
One day while scrolling Twitter feed I found an ad by Goldman Sachs, about a special business training by Goldman Sachs on Coursera. It was free, with a chance to be mentored by them. They were training the women business owners for free. Making them be more confident about the information necessary to get started.
There’s a saying when you really want something, the entire universe helps you get what you want. SRK said it and believe it or not I had checked out Seth’s course on business had bought books about Business. But actually signing up for some business education was too expensive and would require more time than I had. This course was just what I needed.
Pros of the 10,000 Women by Goldman Sach’s course
The course is in a simple language and is a mix of short videos with transcript, reading material, quizzes and worksheets in a user-friendly Coursera format.
Initially, there are two weeks of introductory course material, which if you complete, you get a chance to take the 10weeks course. This includes over 50 hours of course material.
Learn anytime anywhere.
It’s easy to understand
Better if you do the worksheets on the laptop and the interactive maps are best viewed on a computer.
The certificate is free and valid lifelong
You develop a crash course understanding for free without overwhelming on your own time
What you get in the 10,000 Women by Goldman Sach’s
Total of 12 modules,10 in the actual course and two in the introductory course.
You can do the course according to your timeline but their ae time-bound work submission in a few instances/
It covers different aspects of the business including leadership style, management structure, financing, funding, resource allocation, operational efficiency, growth, negotiation
The exercised are focussed on women entrepreneurs and understand the unique strengths and weaknesses women face The exercises help you in developing your Business Growth plan which I had no idea I could do. There are helpful exercises to help you communicate your vision and ideas to your team, stakeholders and customers. By taking this course you are connecting with women business owners the world over and developing a pool of 10,000 Women alumni
Challenges I faced
Some terminology and things like financial ratios were totally new, challenging but were interesting learning.
What did I enjoy most?
Writing my business growth plan.
Learning about funding and negotiation and mindful listening.
Cons of the course
It’s in English and currently no other translation option available.
Who is this course for?
All women who dream of financial independence don’t miss this course. Sign up now for Goldman Sach’s 10000 women .
As I complete five years of Blogging journey in October, I am trying to take a few courses to keep myself updated with the needs of my business. In May -June I finished the Blogchatter’s Basic Blogging course and in July the Creative writing course work was completed. This August I finished a ten-week business course and I am feeling good. What about you? Share in the comments below.
Sharing is good Karma!
Yoast Seo Premium update failed: This is what I did!
I have been using Yoast since 2017. Yoast was my first premium plugin. I wrote about why I bought it in this post. But today I have to write about a problem I was facing.In case you want the entire list of my free and paid tools I use for blogging check out this 24 Free Blogging Tools, and Resources for 2024 .
My premium Yoast SEO plugin is not updating!
Yoast gives regular updates of their plugin. For the last several months, I was unable to update from my WordPress dashboard. In fact, since the version 11 updates came, I was stuck. I searched the net and haunted several forums but didn’t get any great answers.
Why was I worried?
I was busy and kept forgetting. But Yoast sends these newsletters, which help keep you updated. One such email talked about the rich snippet feature of the new Yoast. I was stumped. I was missing out on dangerous SEO magic by missing on updates Plus it was dangerous with all the weird website hacking stuff going on.
Who helped?
Mission: research.
But this time I wrote to Yoast support. They sent me a reply. Some strange unknown bugs were preventing the automatic update, and I will have to update manually. This, in short means I have to deactivate my installed Yoast premium and upload a new updated Yoast zip file. I was in two minds.
Why was I afraid?
What if the update didn’t happen?What if it made my website go all weird? Did I have the brain wavelength to unscrew a mess like that? I am brave, and I can pray like a professional prayer person. All the time I kept postponing the updating, I was worried. I hated the plugin update needed notification for my Yoast. Not doing anything didn’t give me peace of mind. I decided that if things did g wrong, I could just reinstall the older Yoast version and again contact support. I was brave!
How do I update Yoast premium SEO?
- This went on for a few weeks and one brave Saturday I prayed, took a backup of my site.
- Then signed into the Yoast dashboard and downloaded a zip version of the 11.3 version of Yoast premium. This part was easy.
- Next, I deactivated my premium Yoast and uploaded the zip folder of the new updated Yoast. Just use add a new plugin, and they will ask to give you an option to upload a plugin in .zip format.
- With a heavy heart, I waited and then came an alert.
- There already a folder with the same name. Plugin installation failed.
- With a sinking heart, I realized I would need to delete the old Yoast premium to install the new one.
- While deleting, they asked me whether I was sure about removing the plugin and all the precious data. Yikes, I was not sure at all. But this was a brave day, and I said a quick prayer.
- Deleted the old plugin version and uploaded the new updated Premium Yoast. Voila, installation and activation were quick. I Checked the Yoast settings, in the dashboard, and everything was updated. Thank you, Yoast, once again.
In case I didn’t do something right, I will find out soon enough. But till then I am giving myself a few pats. Being on a blogging journey and learning the tech part is a gift I gave myself Five and a half years ago. This thing with my blog gives me so many challenges. But the good part is its always an experience and I answer to myself. The best part, I am creating something which makes me happy every day.
Do you do something to challenge your brain and make you happy every day? Let me know in the comments below. Did you subscribe to my once a month and sometimes twice a month newsletter? Do it now and send me a message on Whatsapp to let me know what you want me to write more about.
Sharing is good Karma!
Starting a Successful Blog in India
Blogging: How to start? Don’t worry. I have you covered. If you are starting a Blog in India, I have one of my books to help you too. But if you are just curious about blogging, I will tell you all about it.
Blogging on WordPress or somewhere else?
Nowadays people are microblogging on Instagram, Facebook and everywhere else. My favorite is WordPress .I still use my personal wordpress.com blog to share ideas and posts.
If it comes to open source software for blogging, nothing comes close to WordPress.
When it comes to functionality, WordPress wins. When I bought, my domain and hosting I chose WordPress as my Content Management system. It has a wonderful creative community, endless free plugins, the options with this is limitless. With all social media microblog, you don’t really own your content and anyone can use it.
(Affiliate Disclosure: There are affiliate links in the blog post. This means I will get a small commission if you visit and buy after clicking on a link at no extra cost to you. This also helps to sustain the website. Thank you for your help)
Blogging on Google?
One of the first blogs I opened was on Blogspot. Even though I love everything Google, I found no attraction for Blogspot and abandoned it soon. But I rather like Google’s Blog Compass app for Indian Bloggers. Unfortunately, Google shut it down and it’s no longer functional.
Professional blogger: Is that even a Career?
This one is a tricky one. Like any other careers, blogging has grey, white and black areas. Whether you try the fifty shades of grey in Blogging or stick to vanilla, will depend on you. The important thing to remember is, an authority Blog gets its authority from what you know and share. If that’s authentic and helpful, making a career out of blogging is not impossible.
But when it comes to trends today let me tell you a secret.
Just like Orkut went away, Facebook lost its shine and now Google plus retired, one-day, Blogging as you know it may wear different feathers. What’s interesting is writing, and words, have been around for years and they are not going anywhere. Your blog package will bring multiple opportunities and what you do with them, will decide whether you can have a career around your blog.
Any professional knowledge, training, skill, can be used as an authority content for your Blog. Google focusses on useful content and you my friend, have information to share. Just remember to give disclaimers and disclosures properly.
Free Blog or a Paid Blog?
A free WordPress Blog or your own domain and hosting?I like having my own domain and hosting, but I will try to give you a balanced overview.
Free Blog Pros
Free Blog forever
Start within 5 minutes
Customize it.
You can use as many themes and change set up when you like.
You have nothing to lose.
Free Blog Cons
No domain customization possible.
Monetization is not allowed in a white hat world.
Use of plugins is not possible
It doesn’t look professional
Until it’s your own hosting you don’t own your content and a glitch could destroy it forever.
Paid Hosting and Domain Pros
It’s your own digital home. Decorate it, one post at a time. Go slow, DIY or get it branded by professional web designers, it’s your call. But remember, good web designers, doesn’t come cheap. There are lots of shady moonlighting, who will cause more harm than good. If in doubt, check blogs like Blogaid.net and amylynnandrews.com for detailed tech stuff which will help you learn.
Domain and hosting separate or not?
This is tricky. I have read both sides of the debate. I feel, having two eggs, in two different baskets, makes sense. While renewing hosting for multiple years gets more and more expensive, the free domain you got with the hosting will have a lot more Domain Authority power. The domain name gets authority and rank with each passing year. If you want to change hosting and want the domain name, it will be expensive.
But if you buy a domain from a separate vendor, this problem of changing hosting will have less effect.
What goes into your blog?
What will you do for your Blog health? Blog health? What am I talking about? That’s what you are thinking right? Don’t worry I am not going crazy and Blog health is a real thing.
Just like you need to take care of what goes inside your body and what comes out for a healthy you, so does the blog.
The hosting: I am thankful to Hostgator. I have used it for the last four years, it gets expensive to renew with each passing year. But the support helped me learn a lot about the backend of my blog. They also did a completely headache free migration to https. But even then, I strongly insist that you do your own research, before choosing a hosting plan. What works for me, may or may not work for you.
The plugins
The themes
Your content
Guest posts
Affiliate links
Advertisements
Sponsorsed Products
Get the Ultimate list of Blogging resources I use.
Do you understand what I am talking about?
What you put inside your blog shows. Your blog is what you write and use in your blog. Themes and plugins are great for sprucing up the blog. But everything needs research. I hear stories of blogs crashing or worse of being hacked when unsafe themes or plugins are used.
Two things you must do, before downloading and using any theme or blog.
Check the source of theme or plugin.
Check reviews and ratings. Please read the reviews.
See if an active forum or support desk available. Most don’t have free versions. But an active forum is good too.
All plugins and themes have backlinks to owners, so when you do use them the source is important. Also, they are potential entry points for hackers if not updated and checked regularly.
Never let anyone enter into your blog until you know that person well. Take a backup regularly. At least once a month. You may need more frequent backups depending on frequency.
Learn about Blog backend stuff, from reliable sources.
Don’t allow random guest posts. Even sponsored posts need to be checked, for plagiarism and content quality. It’s your Brand name on the line here.
The Next part involves what goes out?
Why do you Blog is important here, if it’s a personal Blog full of your thoughts and insights and musings then skip this part? But if it’s also a resource for like-minded people and aimed to help someone somewhere I have news for you.
Make a game plan or an editorial calendar, a blueprint a list whatever works for you.
If needed, write it down on a chart paper and stick it to the wall in front of wherever you write.
Listen to an Audio chapter here.
If you already have a Blog, this is what you can do next :
Update list of categories you write about. Then see which are the blog posts, which brought in maximum traffic over the last six months. Download as a csv and dig deep. If you see a pattern Write on a topic similar and do in-depth research case study, interviews, product comparison to make that topic your thing. But all this works only if you enjoy writing.
Next, optimize your old content. Make thin content updated and complete Edit, put in relevant images do an SEO audit of your Blog and images and check for alt tags and Descriptions. Google images are also great for getting some traffic onto your blog.
Featured post
How is the Health of the Nation: The report is an eye-opener!
Resources to Start a Successful Blog in India
SEO:One Truth you must know as a new blogger
Earning through Blogging: Is that a good thing?
Blogging or Vlogging the eternal question
Podcasting in India: All questions answered.
Starting a Successful Blog: From Quickstart to Awesome!
7 Blogging Challenges in India
A few quick videos to help you on your blogging journey.
LOGO DESIGN
EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION
HOW TO WRITE FOR BRANDS WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL
Ultimate Blogging Challenges in India
Sharing is good Karma!
Thursday Tree Love with Ixora yellow
I have thought of joining this blog hop for some time.But kept missing somehow.But today I remembered.
My blogging journey and balcony garden are approximately of the same duration.About two and a half to three years.I can honestly tell you that I wrote only thesis papers and scientific papers before that.The last time I wrote a story was in school.Then I started blogging .i can write when I have a view of my potted plants around.I have a wish to have trees too in my balcony!
[bctt tweet=”Plant where you are. #balgonygardening #ThursdayTreelove” username=”misra_amrita”]
But that’s not practical.So I do with those that will survive in the microclimate of a balcony.
I so want to share my balcony pics.Because here on Thursday Tree love I have people who love green as much as I do.There’s immense pleasure in appreciating nature and being inspired by it.
Before buying plants for my balcony I check 3 things.
- Flowering or nonflowering.
- Light and water needs.
- Seasonal, annual or perennial.
Stressing about my plants is a part of having your own garden.More so since we travel frequently.Luckily God has given me helpful Sister-in-law and a brother-in-law, who pitches in too.So they plant sit my plant babies when we travel and catch up with life away from hospital stuff.
the only way to survive in this concrete world with its daily dose of violent death and disease it’s important to find more things and people who are sharing positive stories.This ThursdayTree love is definitely one such.
Today I am sharing a picture of the Ixora yellow also called Maui yellow Ixora.It is one of the easiest plants to grow in a balcony.Not finicky at all.Blooms throughout the year.It’s a tropical evergreen shrub.But can grow to be quite tall.Mine is about two and a half feet now and has been with me for four years.It likes the hot sun .full sun is preferred .this time of the year my bedroom window box gets the maximum sunlight.It blooms there.It loves acidic well drained soil and has bright and sunny yellow blooms in beautiful clusters.
This post is also part of an experiment where an Orange Ixora is also planted in the same pot.Will reveal the full pic next week!
I planted it in an old plastic tub since I was recycling.Now I never buy plastic pots or tubs.It’s a pain when you want to re-pot!The only thing that matters more than not cutting down trees is planting more of them.Every day .community gardens ,vertical gardens ,rooftop gardens.Plant where you are.
Do you garden ?let me know about what’s blooming in your garden now in the comments below.
Linking up with #Thursday Tree love?
Sharing is good Karma!
Anchor App Review :Podcast App to change Podcasting in India
I started podcasting for a simple reason. It’s fun and was the main reason I started blogging.I am a fan of the SPI podcast for ages. Pat Flynn and his Podcasts are legendary.
I enjoyed listening to and downloading the transcripts. I enjoy how easy content consumption is on smart passive income. The result is I spend hours on SPI. I researched podcasting way back in 2014. It looked like a lot of work. WordPress and Hostgator made my Blogging journey so much less stressful. Also, recording software and hardware are expensive. I read everything I could lay my hands on, writing on my blog looked easier to start.M y Podcast was to be delayed by two and a half years when the Universe intervened.
A little backstory:
I always loved Radiomirchi and used to listen to it a lot. Then life got busy and with so many things clamoring for attention I lost touch. With podcast entering my life I found the missing element on my online journey.I love reading and read print books and ebooks, blogs constantly. But sometimes while doing housework when I can’t read, I catch up on my favorite podcasts.
But guess what Anchor is your answer. You can start podcasting now with this cool app.
How to start Podcasting in India with Anchor nowGet it on Google Play
- Download and install on Phone.
- Make an account on Anchor.
- Start recording.
There are certain basics you need to plan though.Like your content!
Pros of Anchor:
- Makes podcasting on the go easy.
- Easy to record with guests. There’s an add a friend option where you can send a link to your friend who needs to download the app and just join you. It’s that easy.
- You can have a transcript made.
- A video can be made. Shareable short-form video clips are possible for short audio recordings.
- They submit your podcats to iTunes, Google Podcasts, Radiocasts and many other sites, you have to do nothing!
- You can rearrange segments in the podcast.
- You can import podcasts from other hosts.
- You can use the RSS feed of Anchor and use that for other podcast sites.
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Anchor app review
Cons:
- The add a guest option can be tricky if internet connectivity is a problem on either side. But the good news is you can record a phone conversation and add that audio clip too!
- The transcription services need serious editing because your Indian accent may be difficult for the app to understand.
- The video features are very basic. But gets the work done.
What else could make it better?
- Basic editing cut clip add options.
- To.enable subscription options.
- Options to add own pics or stock photos to the video.That will be the gamechanger.
- Because the current waves video can be a little boring.
- Boost up support
But is all this free?
Yes. Amazing right? The people over at Anchor has included everything your heart desires for easy Podcasting. Plus they are also giving you unlimited hosting for free! At the moment they have not announced any paid plans.
So how will they make money?
Good question. That has not been revealed yet. But once they do I will let you know.
Interesting fact: I started podcasting on Soundcloud. But their android app didn’t allow recording podcast. But with Anchor its a breeze. Let me know what you think about this app in the comments below!
Social significance: If you are unable to see or write, you can still start your own Podcast!That’s achance of a lifetime.Think about it.
Final Thoughts:
If you want to try your hand at podcasting but not sure whether it’s your thing, try with Anchor podcast app. You will avoid expensive mistakes. I am saving for a better audio quality basic setup.B ut this app will help you get started quickly now!
