paid search中文的八卦，Yahoo名人娛樂都在討論

[求職] 英文不好找工作，讓其他技術成為主要語言

上次在聚會討論求職篇，聽到有人問英文不好怎麼找工作，我簡單回不要找以英文為主的工作，但除了中文之外，應該要努力找出其他”技術”，轉換為一種優勢，讓它成為一種能溝通的語言

一般來說在通常的場合，英文有可以用的程度就可以了，可以用指的是可以溝通，用字用詞簡單沒有關係，文法直接不複雜也沒有關係，不要有大錯（但是CV還是要嚴格看待），寫跟說可以讓別人懂，讀跟聽也不會有離譜會錯意（聽不懂時可以很有技巧地請對方再說一次）

既然英文沒比英國人強，那就讓自己其他的技術跟經驗比別人厲害，例如電腦操作的技術、MS office Word,Excel…、寫程式、任何系統；手工、手藝；特殊知識、分析能力、市場經驗、證照；所以找工作時，也盡量找比較容易用到，需要這些技能的工作

例如我剛在英國找的工作是網路行銷的paid search specialist關鍵字行銷，它比起其他網路行銷工作比較重視電腦操作跟分析，在客戶端，我低著頭做出數字就好了。如果是paid search account mananger，雖然也是關鍵字行銷，但是要跟客戶對應，英文語言就會比較要求

所以不論是找工作或是面試時，盡量想辦法讓技術幫你說話，讓面試者不要一直惦記著英文是你的第二外語這件事

圖是我家院子，這幾天好熱，今天終於涼爽點了，每天澆花就可以花掉一個半小時，如果慢慢澆還可以更久.....

感激Selina Kinyee Chau翻譯我的散文作品，讓香港及台灣以外的朋友都能看得明白，從中文走向英語，是我作品的大突破，感謝妳一字一句的用心翻譯：）

《WhatsApp and its USD0.99》
by Roy Kwong Translated by Selina Kinyee Chau

The WhatsApp software developer has informed its users to the app to be payable, triggering a fight between iPhone users and android users because iPhone users only pay USD0.99 once to enjoy life-long service but android users need to pay the same price every year.

Android users complain, “Why iPhone users only need to pay once but we need to pay every year?” iPhone users retort, “You didn’t say anything when we were being charged at the beginning. And now you are complaining.” So the two parties are stuck at whether the charge is unfair to Android users.

After the Two Ticks and Last seen on (Please refer to the previous article of the same writer), the WhatsApp started a fight again because of this USD0.99 issue. From between lovers to friends, now it has even extended to the whole user group of the two giant software developers. It should be named the Most Evil App of the Century.

The inconsistency of charging is of course WhatsApp’s fault. However, for those who can afford a smart phone that cost thousands dollars will be able to afford USD0.99 which is only the price of a can of coke, won’t they?

Some student users may complain, “I don’t have a credit card, I’m not able to pay at the App Store, WhatsApp are not considerate of us.” It is reasonable for users under 18 to complain if they don’t have a credit card. But if the charge is a disaster of WhatsApp, isn’t it just time for people to show their kindness? Friends who have a credit card can rescue others at this time, “I have a credit card. Let me pay it for you.”

Friends without a credit card will appreciate what you have done for them, although it is WhatsApp’s fault of the forbiddance of sending messages before the expiry date, reactivating the function for your friends by buying them a can of coke is meaningful, isn’t it? The USD0.99 of WhatsApp has created a chance to show your care to your friends, how nice as a social networking app!

Recall those days when we were still texting, it was actually not financial friendly at all. For the sake of keeping in touch with our friends, we were compelled to use the same service provider as theirs even its service was the worst in the world and we had to survived three times every day from losing connection just because to keep the text messages free of charge.

Still, the Two Ticks and Last seen on functions have created a lot of problem. But the invention of WhatsApp allows us to send messages for free, save us from paying for every text messages. It deserves to be granted a credit. And the simplified process by just clicking a few buttons to send pictures, videos and audios when we could only do so via email in the past. What’s more, WhatsApp had actually stated in the Terms and Conditions that charge may be applied after the first year.

So there have been so many complaints about WhatsApp being unfairness and has been given the name “a broken app” when it announced to charge? No one ever said something like that before the charging. After the charge applied, negative comments has swept over the Internet. Some suggested to use another communication app, Line, which is free of charge, and WhatsApp has become the public enemy. Despite the inconsistent charge, what’s wrong for WhatsApp to charge for using the app?

Have we become too comfortable enjoying free lunch without notice?

I still remember how hard I tried to save to buy a CD home and listened to it again and again when I was a kid. I had never been tired of it because it wasn’t easy. When there was a movie I liked, I saved hard to go to the cinema for it. If I didn’t have enough money, I bought the VCD when it was released. But VCDs were only available for movies not for TV shows. I had to start sitting in front of the TV before the show I liked started so that I wouldn’t miss any parts. And recorders became my good friend too. I really cherished the only-180-minute memory of every tape.

After I grew up, thanks to the advanced technology becomes able to store everything, the TV, computer, CD player, VCD player, game station and recorders, into ONE smart phone, only without the air conditioner. Want to listen to a song? Go to Youtube; want a movie? PPS, internet TV! A TV show? There are also apps you can watch live TV or play back. Want some games? From Angry Bird to Candy Crush, there are thousands of choices waiting for you.

However, The advance of technology has devalue our attitude towards making efforts. Because everything has become easy to get nowadays.

Have you noticed the songs nowadays are not as good as those in the past? That could be the problem of quality itself but more likely, it is because we have too many options. Now we just need to click a few buttons, thousands of search results will come out and we can listen to them right after. We are spoiled to be greedy unconditionally. We didn’t realize how long we hadn’t paid for a CD until the news of HMV’s bankruptcy spread out.

In the past we had to sit still and paid 100% attention to the movie to enjoy it, now we can just watch it from a few-inch-wide screen on a train. But the price is we keep being interrupted by the surrounding noise and people. When the character is saying something moving, we would just realize we’ve missed the stop and have to rush to get off. It may be free to watch a movie like this but I prefer paying to buy a ticket to go to the cinema.

We don’t need to worry about missing the best part of a TV show because our friends always share them on Facebook. We don’t need to watch every scene but you know what is going on in every story. But why is there still something missing? It turns out that we only keep the concentrated part of everything while the every well panned detail has been wasted. We don’t spend time building a connection with the characters in the story. However, if we don’t even spend time watching the the TV show by ourself, how can we feel the same way as the characters do, like we did in the past?

You don’t feel the pain losing something if you have never made any effort. It is just like we keep those old comics that we spent all our pocket money on even they are old and worn , but we are able to uninstall an app on our phone without a thought. Well, just take a couple seconds to download and we will own it again anytime.

While we are expecting making no effort, we are also destroying creativity. Creators lack of motivation. Creativity is worth nothing nowadays. People will search for replacement when one creativity starts to charge. This is not just about the USD0.99 of WhatsApp, it’s about our value on Give and Take.

Technology has changed our life, but we should never let it change our values.

We avoid Giving. But giving is vital for us to learn to cherish. Sometimes we get back more by giving than not giving, not just about money but also about love. Think about it, if we get what we want easily without paying any effort, comparing with that you devote yourself to a relationship while the other devotes to the relationship as much as you. Then none of you will give up on the relationship easily.

If you think WhatsApp is good, it deserves the USD0.99. Although I am still annoyed by the evil functions such as the Two Ticks and Last Seen on. WeChat is free but you have to pay your liberty of speech for it. One user once tried to send the name of Southern Weekly in Chinese, the system reminded him that “The message has involved sensitive words, please try again after making modification.” What’s wrong with the name of Southern Weekly? The even more ridiculous thing is, while I am writing this article, I get the news that WeChat now has tightened up the regulation that users have to use their real name, phone number when posting on the public forum and are even required to upload the photo of them with their ID card, like you have committed some serious crime.

To avoid paying USD0.99, you need to escape to somewhere that and be monitored. One day if you really encounter some sensitive issue, you will realize not paying actually pays more than paying. I believe most of readers are willing to pay for this USD0.99. We hope WhatsApp will open up more channels for payments.

Don’t let the wheels of Time make us forget the value of giving.


Writer for Yam Taiwan, Roy Kwong
http://goo.gl/aQD8B

[電子商務] [職場]台灣Google關鍵字廣告-免費線上Webinar

關鍵字廣告幾乎是Google的代名詞,關鍵字廣告也幾乎等於英國數位廣告. 俗稱PPC=Paid per click. 如果你想要找digital marketing工作,PPC executive、paid search specialist這類的職務,在我認知是永遠在缺人的.

PPC也從早年的單純RTB(real time bidding)演化成越來越複雜的怪獸,但是最基本的概念依然是不變的.四大要素: Bids下標金額、Keywords關鍵字、Ads廣告文案、Budget廣告預算.

我個人是蠻享受我操作PPC的日子,也因為有它,我才能在英國起家.雖然我現在已經不再每日PPC了,但它總是電子商務很重要的一環.有機會再介紹深入一點.

Google adwords是操作關鍵字的介面,只要你有Google 帳號就可以自己設立Adwords account,去了解介面,看看怎麼一回事,完全免費.

到Google隨便搜尋Paid search或Adwords就有成山成塔的相關guides跑出來,Google本身也有Adwords blog跟Youtube channel教你關鍵字廣告是什麼,還有最新消息更新.

看到7-9月間有好幾個Google自辦的繁體中文Webinar,完全免費,每個主題只有1個小時,有興趣的請自行線上報名補充知識.