Advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a short guide to video conferencing, focusing on advantages and disadvantages.
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Advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing
Video conferencing is a powerful technology that allows two or more people to communicate effectively in real time. It uses cameras, monitors, microphones, and sophisticated software and hardware to create a high-quality experience. There are several advantages, and a few disadvantages, to video conferencing.
Advantages of video conferencing
Cost savings
Businesses and individuals don't need to spend money on travel, hotels, meals, and other expenses for people to meet one another. These cost savings can be significant, especially in larger organizations.
Time savings
There are significant time and productivity savings. People can just go to their local video conferencing suite, rather than get in their car or go to a train station or airport. The time that isn't spent traveling can be used to complete other work and personal tasks.
Better communication and commitment
Being able to see the other people in the video conference makes it easier to pick up on subtle cues, body language, and nonverbal communication. This has been shown to enhance communication and build trust. People who can see each other when they speak are more likely to support each other and follow through on their commitments.
Better work-life balance and happier employees
Because people do not need to spend hours traveling, often on their own time, this improves their work-life balance and makes for happier employees. This can help a business build better relationships and means its employees are more likely to put in the extra effort.
Convenience
It's easier to have meetings across different countries, time zones, and international boundaries, plus there's less time wasted on travel and paperwork.
Lower carbon footprint, reduced environmental impact
If people don't have to travel to meetings, they're burning fewer fossil fuels and reducing the carbon footprint for themselves and their business.
A better way to do business
Overall, for people over multiple locations, video conferencing is simply a more efficient, less stressful, more productive and effective way to hold meetings.
Disadvantages of video conferencing
Cost of video conferencing software and hardware
The cost to purchase the specialized hardware, software, and other aspects of the system can be high, with higher-end systems costing significantly more. The hardware will need to be maintained on an ongoing basis and software may require licensing and upgrades.
Technology issues
If there is a problem with the hardware, software, or network, video conferences can suffer in quality, or might not work at all. Regular maintenance and backup plans can reduce these issues.
Training for video conferencing
People need to be trained in the use of video conferencing; this takes time and money.
May not be a substitute for "being there"
People are more productive when they are physically in the same space. Video conferencing might not be suitable for all types of meetings as specialized events such as workshops and seminars are better when conducted face-to-face.
Availability of facilities
The more popular video conferencing becomes, the more likely that video-conferencing facilities in an organization will be booked. A good balance of availability and use means that video conferencing can deliver good value for money.
Ultimately, a business will want to balance the convenience and ongoing cost savings of video conferencing against the costs of installation and maintenance. In most cases, the combination of reduced travel, increased productivity, and better communication outweighs the costs of video conferencing.
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Common symptoms and treatment for whiplash (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a short guide to understanding the symptoms and treatment of whiplash.
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Whiplash is a common injury, normally occurring in road traffic incidents. Understanding the symptoms and treatments of whiplash and whiplash-associated disorder can help the people affected by it to better deal with their condition. This article summarizes what whiplash is, and the most common symptoms and treatments.
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Whiplash is an injury that occurs to a person's back, normally in the upper back/neck area, as a result of a sudden jolt that causes the head to move rapidly backward and then forward. The most common cause of whiplash incidents is as the result of a road traffic incident, especially those involving a collision where the car is hit from behind. It is estimated that whiplash injuries cost the US economy up to $30 billion a year due to sick leave, disability, lost work productivity, damages, medical costs, and litigation.
Whiplash can involve injury both to the bones of the spine and to the ligaments, muscles, and soft tissues around the spine and in the neck. Although whiplash can be an unpleasant and uncomfortable injury that requires rest and rehabilitation to recover from, it is not life-threatening.
Generally, symptoms from whiplash can be separated into two categories:
1. Symptoms from whiplash itself.
2. Symptoms from whiplash-associated disorder.
Symptoms from whiplash itself
Symptoms from whiplash include the following which generally occur within 24 hours of an incident that could cause whiplash (commonly an automobile accident) but they can take a week or more to arise:
Pain in the head, neck, shoulders, back, and spine.
Decreased range of motion of the head and neck.
Stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and arms.
Tenderness, especially in and around the neck.
Headaches, especially in the base of the skull, dizziness, and fatigue.
Jaw pain.
Arm pain and weakness.
Disturbances in eyesight and hearing including tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
Symptoms from whiplash-associated disorder
Whiplash-associated disorder can occur in patients who have had whiplash for an extended period. This disorder tends to manifest as neurological and psychological symptoms including:
Mild depression.
Mood swings.
Anger, frustration, and irritability.
Anxiety and stress.
Drug dependency (prescription or recreational).
Insomnia.
Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.
Treatment for whiplash
There are several treatments for whiplash that vary in their effectiveness. Although it was originally believed that a soft cervical (neck) collar was the best way to treat whiplash by restricting head and neck movement, it is now generally thought that encouraging gentle movement and physical therapy of the neck and spine are more beneficial to a rapid recovery. These movements can include gentle rotational exercises and other education and movement as directed by a physical therapist or doctor.
These exercises help strengthen muscles to support the neck and spine. Painkillers, heat, and ice can also be used to help reduce discomfort and provide pain relief; additionally, ice will help control and reduce swelling.
Whiplash-associated disorder can be treated through counseling, therapy, antidepressants, or other medications.
In all cases, diagnosis and treatment of whiplash and its associated symptoms should be made by a medical professional. Whiplash is easily treatable via exercises and pain medication and quick diagnosis combined with an effective treatment plan can help you recover from your symptoms quickly.
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Cautionary investments - a guide and review (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a guide to cautionary investments including algorithmic trading, collectibles, technical and swing trading, short-selling, and IPOs.
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This guide covers various types of investments that you might want to think carefully about before you part with any money. In this guide, we’ll explore:
Algorithmic trading
Collectibles
Technical and swing trading
Selling stocks short
Initial Public Offerings
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Cautionary investments — A review
This guide covers various types of investments that you might want to think carefully about before you part with any money. In this guide, we’ll explore:
Algorithmic trading
Collectibles
Technical and swing trading
Selling stocks short
Initial Public Offerings
Algorithmic trading
Algorithmic trading and the people who practice it (known as "quants") use dedicated trading algorithms to buy and sell stocks automatically. These algorithms are programmed, tested, and tweaked on specialized trading platforms. When they are launched, they analyze the markets to find stocks that meet their criteria and then buy and sell them.
How does it work?
Investors and traders with computer coding knowledge can write specialized trading algorithms that identify stocks based on certain features (both fundamental and technical indicators). These algorithms are then back-tested on stock market data to see how they perform. They can then be launched into a live trading account where they will buy and sell stocks based on those criteria.
What are the risks?
Time investment and expertise - As you've guessed, it requires computer coding, math, investment, and trading knowledge to create algorithms that can perform well. Algo trading has a steep learning curve.
Lack of control - Because algorithms trade automatically, it takes control away from the investor, not something you really want to happen.
Historic results don't equal future results - A popular aspect of algo trading is back-testing the algorithm to see how it performs. Unfortunately, good past results don't guarantee good future ones.
Specialized platform - Algorithms need to be deployed on specialized software that links with a brokerage account.
Fees - Algo trading can involve relatively frequent buying and selling; broker commissions and transaction fees can eat up a lot of profit.
If you want to algo trade, what can you do?
Algo trading is not recommended for new investors.
You can algo trade through various software packages like NinjaTrader or retail investment algo platforms like Quantopian.
Collectibles including wine, art, and memorabilia
Investing doesn't have to involve stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments; some people invest in more tangible areas - including wine, art, antiques, autographs, books, and other memorabilia - in the hope they will increase in value.
How does it work?
An investor in collectibles will typically buy items that they hope will increase in value over time. They may hold these items themselves or they may be held on their behalf by a specialist broker. There are many different types of collectibles that an individual can choose to invest in, including:
Fine art by sculptors, painters, and other artists, both historic and modern.
Wine and liquor - Old and rare wine and liquor including whiskey, brandy, and port.
Memorabilia - Sports team memorabilia, uniforms and the like; signed photos and autographs of celebrities.
Books - First editions and other folios from writers.
Antiques - Beautiful and historic craftsmanship.
Other memorabilia - Early examples of important inventions and historic artifacts from other fields.
What are the risks?
Supply and demand market - The world of collectibles is based almost entirely on rarity and supply and demand; predicting what types of collectibles will significantly increase in value can be difficult.
Lack of liquidity - To make money on a collectible, you need to find someone willing to buy it from you. Unlike many other investments, it can be difficult to find a buyer, particularly one who wants to pay the price you are asking.
Capital outlay - Collectible investing can require large amounts of capital outlay to buy a good selection of high-quality collectibles; additionally, a dealer is normally putting a hefty markup of their own on the collectible when selling it to you.
No interim income - Unlike most investments, collectibles don't provide any interim income.
Unpredictable - It can be difficult to predict exactly which collectibles are going to increase in value substantially.
If you want to get involved with collectibles, what can you do?
Collectibles are not recommended for new investors.
There are specialized brokers, dealers, and traders in every type of collectible.
Technical and swing trading
Traditional stock investing relies on analyzing and understanding the fundamentals of a business (value, earnings, and other factors) to predict long-term growth. Technical trading (or swing trading) uses shorter-term, technical indicators to try to predict price movements over shorter periods. Swing traders typically hold stocks for a few days to a few weeks.
How does it work?
A swing trader will look at various technical indicators to help them decide if the stock is going to go up or down in price. There are dozens of these indicators (e.g., moving average, volume, Bollinger Bands, relative strength) that change on an hourly and daily basis. Investors will then attempt to use these indicators to buy into and sell out of stocks.
What are the risks?
Trading, not investing - Swing trading isn't investing; it's using short-term indicators to try to make money on relatively random stock movements. It can be very difficult to predict if prices are going to go up or down in the short term, making it difficult for a novice investor to make money with this type of trading.
A different way of thinking - Swing trading approaches stocks in a very different way. Rather than looking at reliable, fundamental, long-term indicators, they concentrate on short-term movements. This involves a whole new way of thinking, and new terminology.
Time-consuming - Like day trading, swing trading needs a lot of time and attention from the people who practice it.
Fees - Due to the relatively frequent buying and selling involved in swing trading, broker commissions and transaction fees can eat up a lot of profit.
If you want to swing trade, what can you do?
Swing trading is not recommended for new investors.
If you do want to swing trade, you can do it through your online broker account, but be aware of commissions and any other fees.
Selling stocks short
Investors normally count on stock prices increasing over time, but by selling stocks short, investors can profit from falling stock prices. In other words, as a company's share price falls, your return on that share increases.
How does it work?
Short-selling works through investors "borrowing" shares from their broker. You effectively sell the shares before owning them with the promise that you will buy them back in the future. If the price of the share falls, you receive the difference in value as profit. If the price rises, you will take a loss.
What are the risks?
Investing in failure - When you sell a stock short, you're hoping that the value of the stock and the company behind it will go down over time. This means that you're relying on the failure or weakness of the company; unfortunately, it can be as hard to pick losers as it is to pick winners.
No limit to how much you can lose - With a normal stock position (where you invest in the hope the price will go up) the most you could lose is your initial investment. When you sell short, you could lose more than you invest. For example, if you short sell 100 shares in Amazing Blue Widget Co. at $10 each ($1,000 borrowed) and the price then goes up to $30 each, you'd be liable for $3,000 worth of stock, a $2,000 loss.
Liable for dividends - With most stocks, you profit from dividends they pay out because you own the stock; this is not the case with short-selling. If the stock pays dividends, you are liable for them and your broker will deduct the total value of the dividend payment from your account.
Uptrend over time - The trend of the markets is to increase over time. This means that you're trying to pick a losing stock and wanting to buck the general trend of the overall market. This can be tough.
If you want to invest in short-selling stocks, what can you do?
Short-selling stocks is not recommended for new investors.
You can short-sell stocks through your online broker account; you simply put the stock position in as a "Sell" without buying the stocks first.
Remember that you could lose more than your original investment so make sure that you put "limit orders" in place to reduce your risk of this happening.
Initial Public Offerings
An IPO happens when a company launches its stocks onto the stock market for the first time (initial), allowing you (the public) to buy (the offering) into the business through investing in those stocks.
How does it work?
When a privately owned business grows and becomes profitable, it will often want to become public by offering stocks for sale on the open market. This allows the business to raise more money, increase its valuations, and reward the private investors who originally put money into the business.
What are the risks?
IPOs tend to be heavily marketed and over-hyped. This increases demand for the shares, drives the price up, and can overvalue shares in the business, which means that IPO investors often pay a premium to get in early.
The stock price on IPOs can take a while to normalize and will often fall in value in the few months following an IPO as the euphoria fades and financial realities set in. Strong businesses will continue to grow their share value over the medium to long term.
Because there are very little public earnings, valuation, or fundamental analyses available, it can be difficult to measure the true worth of a business at its IPO.
Be aware of the "lockup" period. Certain people who already hold shares in a business before an IPO have a lockup period during which they cannot sell their shares (generally three months to two years). Once this period expires, they can sell large numbers of their holdings which can affect the share price.
If you want to invest in IPOs, what can you do?
Don't buy into an IPO on the day of launch or for some time afterward; wait for the hype to die down and for the share price to normalize.
Carry out the same analysis and due diligence on IPOs as you would on any other business you're considering investing in.
Delay investing in a new business until you can get a good idea of earnings potential, history, and other essential and objective fundamental factors; you may also want to wait for the lockup period to expire.
You can normally invest in IPOs via your online broker account.
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Guide to reviewing your investments (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a guide to reviewing your investments on a quarterly and annual basis so you can maximize your returns.
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Learn how to review your investments on a quarterly and annual basis by carrying out an investment review. This article shares some best practices that you can use to explore your investments and decide what to do with them. It also covers areas like taxes, fees, and financial goals.
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How to Review Your Investments
A vital part of investing is reviewing your investments on a regular basis and making changes to your portfolio based on how they are doing. This will help you keep your portfolio in good shape and ensures that you're still working towards your financial goals.
Reviews don't have to be time-consuming or complicated, and simple quarterly and annual reviews are good enough to keep you on track. Here are some simple principles that you can use on a quarterly and annual basis to manage your investments.
Carry out a quarterly review
Every three months, you should look at individual investments and your portfolio and ask the following questions.
How has each of your investments been doing over the last quarter and the last year?
Start by understanding the performance of each of your investments and your overall portfolio. You'll want to look at both capital gains / losses (the change in the purchase price of the investment) and any interim gains or dividends (money that's paid to you over the life of the investment). You can compare these returns to the market and to your financial goals and plans.
Do you need to make any changes to your under-performing investments?
If some of your investments have been under-performing, you might want to explore them in more depth, to understand why they are under-performing. If you're still confident in the investment, it's probably worth holding on to so that it can increase in value over time. If you've lost confidence in the investment, think about reducing your holding or selling it altogether.
Do you need to deal with dividends or other returns on your investments?
If you've received interim payments in your account, it's possible that they have been automatically reinvested. If they haven't, you'll need to decide if you want to withdraw them or reinvest them. In most cases, unless you need the money, it's better to reinvest.
Are you still on track with your financial goals?
Finally, as part of your quarterly review, look at your overall financial goals. Make any small tweaks or changes to your investments to keep you on track.
Carry out a more thorough yearly review
In addition to a quarterly review, it's also worth completing a more thorough annual review. When you're carrying out your annual review, ask yourself the following questions.
Do you understand what your tax burden is likely to be?
You'll probably need to pay taxes on any profit that you make on your investments, whether that's through interim payments or on any capital gains if you sell an investment. Talk to your accountant to learn how much tax you'll need to pay and ensure that you put enough aside to make the payment.
Your tax adviser or accountant can also give you advice on how to minimize your tax burden; for example, you'll normally have to pay a higher rate of tax if you sell an investment less than a year after buying it. It's also important to note that you could offset any losses that you've made against your gains.
Can you reduce the fees that you have to pay on your investments?
You'll often have to pay fees when you invest. Sometimes you'll need to pay them when you buy or sell investments, and sometimes they'll be levied on an annual basis as a "management fee" based on the value of your investments. Review the fees that you've paid over the last year and deduct them from your returns to see the impact they have had.
Go through each of the fees to understand if there are better options or other providers where you can pay lower fees. If there are, consider moving your investments.
Do you need to make any major changes to your portfolio?
Look at your risk profile and financial goals and compare this to your investment performance. See if you need to make changes to your portfolio to keep your likely risks and rewards in your comfort zone, this might involve re-balancing your portfolio by selling some investments and buying others so that you can reduce your risk.
Has an investment performed well enough that you might want to sell it?
If an investment has done well, you might want to consider selling it and realizing the gains. You should generally only do this if you need the money, if you're investing to a specific goal, or if you think you can get a better return elsewhere. Otherwise, continue to hold money in the investment and let it grow more over time.
Remember that if you sell an investment, you may have to pay transaction fees and taxes on any profits that you make.
Getting into the habit of carrying out regular investment reviews will help you meet your financial and life goals. With practice, you can complete each of the reviews in an hour or two. This will be time well spent, as the decisions you make can reduce your risk and make it easier to build your wealth.
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Guide to the right programming platform for your website (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a guide to choosing the right platform to host or develop your website.
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Choosing the right programming platform is one of the most important decisions when you're building a new website. This article explores several options, frameworks, and languages for web development. It covers areas including blogging frameworks, online website builders, locally installed software, and various programming languages.
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Building a great website - Choosing the right programming platform
Choosing the right programming platform and language for your website is vital. The approach affects the functions, technology, and many other aspects of your website. There are dozens of platforms and programming languages available, depending on your needs. Your options include:
Blogging frameworks like WordPress and Blogger.
Online website builders.
Locally installed website building software.
Custom languages and development platforms.
Blogging frameworks
There are two main blogging frameworks: Blogger and WordPress. Blogger, by Google, is an online-only platform designed around content creation. It lets bloggers and writers create content quickly, upload images, and design beautiful blogs with a minimum of fuss. Google hosts all blogs created on the platform. You don't need to worry about web hosting, speed, or anything besides creating great content. Customization on Blogger is limited, and you will need to use various widgets for any advanced functionality.
WordPress is the most popular website technology platform in the world. Over 75 million websites publish on WordPress, and half of the world's top blogs use the technology. WordPress isn't limited to blogging, though. The platform is used by many businesses, membership websites, and online stores. WordPress has a vast amount of community support, together with templates, tutorials, and plugins. This makes the platform highly customizable, and it's a good choice, whether you want to build a website yourself or hire a developer.
Online website builders
Another popular option for designing and publishing a website is to use an online website builder. These solutions are focused on the pages, themes, and structure of your website. You can drag and drop various elements onto your pages and create content.
These website builders are easy to use, inexpensive, fast, and functional. The four most popular website builders are Squarespace, Weebly, Jimdo, and Wix. Each has a free trial, so you can try them out and see if they work for you. You can set up shops, membership programs, and more, but they are best for simple websites without unusual requirements.
Locally installed website building software
Locally installed software is often used by professional web developers to create a website on their local machine. They can then upload it to a hosting service. Popular solutions include Adobe Dreamweaver, Aptana Studio, and Microsoft Visual Web Developer.
The software supports many types of programming languages. One of the main features is a "What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG)" editor, which shows you exactly how your website will look. The software lets web developers customize websites to a high degree, and allows for great flexibility in web design.
Custom language and development platforms
There are many specialized programming languages used to build websites. These include:
Simple languages such as HTML and CSS.
Intermediate languages such as JavaScript and Python.
Advanced languages such as Drupal or Joomla.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
HTML is the standard language used to build the vast majority of websites. HTML code tells your web browser about the content of your website and where to display it. If you look at the source code of a website, most of what you see will be HTML.
CSS affects the visual elements of your website. The styles in CSS tell your web browser how to display the fonts, colors, spacing, borders, navigation, and other parts of your website. This makes it easy to change styles and colors across a website without having to edit the HTML on each page.
JavaScript and Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)
After HTML and CSS, JavaScript is the most popular web programming language. It's often used to add interactive widgets, quizzes, and other functions to a website. A good JavaScript developer can create entire apps and games.
PHP is another popular choice for web development and runs on a web server (where your website is hosted) rather than in a browser. PHP is a flexible language allowing a website to interact with databases, membership sites, logins, and much more. There's lots of community support and tutorials for the language, although it needs a professional developer to make the most of it.
Python and Ruby
Python is a multi-purpose programming language used for many different types of development. One of its main advantages is a wide variety of pre-coded functions that make writing complex web applications a little easier.
Ruby is a programming language that's growing in popularity due to its ease of use. It's also good at handling large volumes of website traffic, so if you're expecting lots of visitors, it's a good choice.
MySQL
MySQL is a relational database platform designed to allow websites to store and retrieve information. It's an open-source platform, so using it is free. Many websites use MySQL to provide personalized information, products, and services to customers.
Joomla and Drupal
Joomla is a language developed for content management systems (CMS). It specializes in allowing people to create, upload, and share content. Consider using Joomla if you have multiple contributors to your website.
Like Joomla, Drupal is a CMS. It's also extremely customizable, allowing professional developers to create websites to exacting standards. Drupal is specially designed for web developers who want to customize every piece of their code.
Many of these programming languages require specific expertise. If your website needs a more customized approach, think about hiring a professional web developer. The right programming and technology makes a big difference to the functionality, usefulness, and success of your website. If you're not sure what you need, speak to an expert to learn about your options.
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Business marketing with physical and offline advertising (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a simple guide to offline business marketing including flyers, print advertising, billboards, and more.
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About this content
Traditional, offline advertising is still one of the best marketing methods for local businesses. This article explores the various types of offline advertising, including direct mail, leaflets, billboards, and print advertising. The article is designed to give business owners and marketers a broad overview of various physical advertising methods, including the advantages and disadvantages of each.
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Local businesses spend most of their marketing budget on physical, offline advertising. A more traditional part of the advertising world, offline advertising has several well-established techniques to reach customers. The best marketing methods depend on the right budget and the best promotional methods.
Direct mail
Direct mail is used to send out messages to all the people in a particular niche, demographic, or location. It normally introduces a business and provides incentives such as discounts or coupons.
Advantages: A good way to communicate with a large number of people, direct mail can reach customers who can't be targeted by other means. The right incentives can get a better response.
Disadvantages: Tracking responses to direct mail campaigns can be difficult. Many people see direct mail as annoying or wasteful.
Flyers and leaflets
Printed leaflets and flyers are used to reach people in a specific location. A well-designed leaflet can get the attention of a potential customer, but getting them to take the next step can be difficult. Flyers can often be hand delivered to all the addresses in a particular area.
Advantages: They are relatively inexpensive to design and deliver. They're a good way to target everyone in a location. With the right incentives, they can be more effective.
Disadvantages: Tracking responses to flyers can be difficult. They have a poor response rate. Many people will just put a flyer in the trash.
Billboards
With the right budget, advertising hoardings and billboards can be a good way to promote a brand and business. Billboards are a proven local marketing technique and have been used successfully for many years.
Advantages: Billboards provide localized advertising. In high-traffic areas, they will be seen by a large number of people. They are a good way to build general brand and business awareness.
Disadvantages: Billboard advertising can be expensive. Besides renting space on each billboard, the advertising will need to be created by a specialist designer. Billboards are not targeted. It can be difficult to track responses to billboards.
Print advertising (newspapers, magazines, and periodicals)
One of the most traditional ways to advertise, a newspaper or magazine ad can be effective. Newspapers are best for more general, local ads, while magazines can be highly targeted.
Advantages: Print advertising can reach a large audience, locally or nationally. Advertising in specialist magazines can be a good way to communicate with potential customers. Newspaper advertising is often a less expensive option than many other marketing techniques.
Disadvantages: Some advertisements will need to be professionally designed by a specialist. The response rate to print advertising can be low. It is difficult to track responses to print advertising.
Display, A-frame, and sidewalk signs
One advertising technique used by all local businesses is the display sign. In addition to the signs on the business itself, A-frame signs (sandwich boards), sidewalk signs, and lawn signs are also effective.
Advantages: Once the initial cost has been paid, there is little other expense. Signs tell customers exactly where to find a business.
Disadvantages: The initial cost of a sign can be expensive. Hiring a professional designer will need more of a budget.
Word-of-mouth and recommendations
Some of the best publicity is created by word-of-mouth. A customer recommending a business to a friend or colleague is a good way to immediately build trust.
Advantages: Referral is a no-cost way to promote a business. Train employees to provide excellent service to increase customer satisfaction.
Disadvantages: Word-of-mouth advertising is unpredictable. A poor customer experience can result in bad word-of-mouth and lost business.
These advertising techniques are useful for any local business. Although it can be difficult to track responses to physical, offline advertising, it should still form part of any local marketing plan. The right local advertising can make a big difference to customer awareness and sales.
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Medical and nursing wound care articles
Copy editing and proofreading of wound care articles, monographs, reports, abstracts, protocols, and studies for a telehealth company specializing in wound care.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of wound care articles, monographs, reports, abstracts, protocols, and studies for a telehealth company specializing in wound care.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Worked closely with the two company directors to edit wound care content.
Helped them to launch a new nursing consulting website.
Worked on reports, online content, abstracts, protocols, and more.
Psychology and psychiatry graduate coursework
Copy editing and proofreading of coursework for an academic student over five years, focussing on psychology and psychiatry.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of coursework for an academic student over five years, focussing on psychology and psychiatry.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Areas of expertise included psychology, psychiatry, philosophy, and critical analysis.
Provided complete copy editing, proofreading, and support for a non-native academic writer.
Areas of expertise
HR recruitment, assessment, and management content
Copy editing and proofreading of manuals, training materials, and assessments for an HR recruitment and training business.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of manuals, training materials, and assessments for an HR recruitment and training business.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
I worked for this business for five years and edited hundreds of pieces of work.
They worked with financial businesses including banking and insurance.
Ares of expertise required included HR, sales, recruitment, insurance, law, personal assessments, reports, PowerPoint, workbooks, website, communications skills, course outlines and notes, research, and networking.
Edited all work to meet extensive style guide requirements.
Robo-adviser investing short guide (full sample)
Copy editing and proofreading of a short guide to robo-advisers and whether they could work with your investing strategy.
An example of my editing and proofreading services.
It can be useful to understand exactly how my proofreading and editing services can help you. Below, you’ll find an article that I copy edited and proofread, to give you an idea of how I can enhance your content. Please have a read through, and if you like the content then please get in touch or get a quote.
About this content
Find out how robo-advisers can help you meet your investment and financial goals. This article explores how investors can use robo-advisers to build wealth and make the most of their money. It includes information on the benefits, drawbacks, returns and other aspects of robo-advisers.
Editing services provided
Areas of expertise
Robo-adviser investing
Robo-advisers are specialized investing websites. They use feedback from you to automatically create a selection of funds that you can invest in over the medium to long-term. The only human input used in selecting these funds is provided by you, the recommendations come from an analysis by the robo-adviser platform.
Who should use robo-advisers?
Robo-advisers are useful if you like the idea of low-effort, automated investing. They take the human factor out of choosing investments and provide a diverse selection of funds to reduce your risk.
How does robo-adviser investing help you meet your financial goals?
Robo-adviser investing helps you meet your goals in the same way that any other long-term investments in various funds would - Growth, combined with an interim income. Ultimately, whether robo-adviser investing is right for you depends on what you think about your investments being selected for you automatically.
What are your expected returns?
Robo-adviser investing provides both capital growth (i.e. an overall increase in the fund values in your portfolio) together with paying a dividend.
As robo-adviser investing is still in its infancy, we don't know yet how it will perform over time. However, other diversified funds typically return around 7 - 8% a year. Early indications are that in 2014, robo-adviser investing did not match the performance of the stock market (e.g. via an index tracker).
What are the benefits of robo-adviser investing?
Automatic - Low-effort investing, based on questions you answer.
Diversified - The portfolios that a robo-adviser chooses from are already well diversified.
What are the drawbacks of robo-adviser investing?
Fees - The fees for robo-advisers are higher than those for investing in a straightforward index fund, which could provide similar performance.
Not much to learn - Because robo-adviser investing does the work for you, there are only limited learning opportunities on how your investments are working.
Robo-adviser investing can be volatile in the short to medium term.
How do you get started with robo-adviser investing?
There are several businesses providing robo-adviser investing, including:
Betterment
Wealthfront
Schwab
Content originally written by Paul Maplesden, a freelance writer, and edited by me.
Outdoor adventure company brochures and website
Copy editing and proofreading of brochures for an outdoor adventure company leading tours of young people on expeditions.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of brochures for an outdoor adventure company leading tours of young people on expeditions.
Approximate length of content edited
5,000 - 10,000 words.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy edited and proofread content for multiple parts of the business.
Worked on leaflets, brochures, and the business website.
Ensured an appropriate approach and tone of voice for children and parents
Worked on consistency across multiple platforms.
Proofread for online, documents, and PDF content.
Areas of expertise
Osteoporosis and bone health magazine
Copy editing and proofreading of news, articles, reference materials, and other content on osteoporosis and bone health for a magazine.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of news, articles, reference materials, and other content on osteoporosis and bone health for a magazine.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy edited news, articles, and research on osteoporosis.
Proofread PDFs for entire magazines.
I was the interim magazine proofreader for several editions.
Areas of expertise
Graduate coursework on national security and intelligence services
Copy editing and proofreading of graduate coursework for a student over several years. We covered topics including essays and critical analysis on national security, intelligence services, and international relations.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of graduate coursework for a student over several years. We covered topics including essays and critical analysis on national security, intelligence services, and international relations.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Editing and proofreading of graduate coursework.
Covered complex topics including security services and international relations.
Provided English as a Second Language help.
Included guidance on referencing, citations, word choice, and formatting.
Areas of expertise
British brand and marketing reports
Copy editing and proofreading of marketing reports on the state of British brands.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of marketing reports on the state of British brands.
Approximate length of content edited
5,000 - 10,000 words.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing and proofreading for a high-profile brand consultant.
Careful editing to retain the author’s tone of voice and unique approach.
Worked in PDF using proofing marks and comments.
Areas of expertise
Compliance and risk qualification workbooks
Copy editing and proofreading of workbooks for courses including health and safety, personal injury, liability, and workplace hazards.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of workbooks for courses including health and safety, personal injury, liability, and workplace hazards.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing of text-heavy workbooks for qualification courses.
Included proofreading in PDF using proofreader marks.
Covered health and safety, workplace, HR, and law.
Areas of expertise
Sustainable Nutrition and Agriculture Promotion (SNAP) program report
Copy editing and proofreading of a report on the SNAP program for sustainable food production and nutrition.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of a report on the SNAP program for sustainable food production and nutrition.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing and proofreading on a report on the results of the mid-term evaluation of the Sustainable Nutrition and Agriculture Promotion (SNAP) program.
This was a high-level NGO report.
Areas of expertise
Ear, nose, and throat surgery peer-reviewed journal articles
Copy editing and proofreading of articles for a peer-reviewed journal on ear, nose, and throat surgery.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of articles for a peer-reviewed journal on ear, nose, and throat surgery.
Approximate length of content edited
5,000 - 10,000 words.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing and proofreading of articles covering the latest technology in otolaryngology (ear, nose, throat) surgery.
Articles were produced for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Included the rewriting of content from several non-native speakers to ensure a consistent and cohesive paper.
Areas of expertise
Business intelligence software website
Copy editing and proofreading of a website for a new business intelligence and analytics software product.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of a website for a new business intelligence and analytics software product.
Approximate length of content edited
5,000 - 10,000 words.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing and proofreading of extensive software product website.
Included translating technical terms into language anyone can understand.
Ensured consistency across multiple formats, marketing materials, and other media.
Editing services provided
Retail operations and processes staff manual
Copy editing and proofreading of a staff operations and process manual for a large grocery retailer.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of a staff operations and process manual for a large grocery retailer.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing and proofreading of a staff operations manual and supporting materials for a grocery chain.
Followed an extensive style guide and ensuring language was aimed at just the right level for all employees.
Also edited brochures and newsletter articles.
Areas of expertise
Innovations in the space sector doctorate
Copy editing and proofreading of a doctoral thesis on innovation in the development of orbital satellites.
Information on various types of copy editing and proofreading projects.
Brief description
Copy editing and proofreading of a doctoral thesis on innovation in the development of orbital satellites.
Approximate length of content edited
10,000 words or more.
Notes on copy editing and proofreading this content
Copy editing and proofreading of a Doctorate of Business Administration thesis.
Work was completed for someone working at a space agency.