From the dashboard, you can access other areas of the portal through the links on the menu which is on the left hand side of the screen. The main menu is comprised of tabs under which are sub menus. These tabs are: Posts, Media, Links, Comments, Profiles, Tools and Settings.
Some of the tabs are closed by default. To reveal the sub menu under the tab, simply place your mouse over the tab to make it active, and then click on the down arrow button that appears. Repeating this action will close the tab again.
The Posts Tab
The posts tab is the most important tab of the dashboard. The tab consists of four links which are used to create, edit and manage post tags and categories.
As an editor, you will only make use of the first two links of the Posts tab which are “Edit” and “Add New”. These are the only two links that an editor needs to do their work. In a later section, we shall take a closer look at these links and explain their functions.
The other two links which are “Post Tags” and “Categories” are usually not used in the course of editing so we shall not go into details about them.
The other tabs
The other tabs in the menu are rarely used by an editor and are therefore less important. New editors are therefore advised not change any of the settings on these links.
Any clicking should only be for the purpose of exploring and getting familiar with the portal areas. Only advanced editors with approval from Senior Editors are authorised to change any of these settings.
Media: This tab is used to manage images, videos and other media that have been uploaded to the portal gallery.
Links: Managing of website links.
Comments: View recent comments left on various posts by visitors of the portal.
Profile: Here the experienced web editor can manage his profile.
Tools: Contains advanced settings that editors are not allowed to change.
Settings: Contains more advanced settings that editors are not allowed to change or to modify.
May 31, 2011
Select Categories
Every new post is grouped under various categories depending on the type of job, the qualification requirements, job location etc. A post may have one or more categories under which it is posted. See the Appendix for a full list and more information on Categories.
As an editor, you are expected to thoroughly study and become very familiar with the various categories and their relationships to the different types of vacancies that are published so that you can accurately assign them to posts while editing.
There are presently 81 categories in all. Even though the link for creating a new category is available, only the Portal Administrator is allowed to create new categories and once in a while, a new one gets added. This means that you should not click on the “Create new category” link at any time. To help you in getting familiar with the categories and how to assign them to posts, go through the already published posts on the portal. They usually have a small box below the heading that lists the categories of that vacancy. Scan through the vacancy and take note of the categories that it was posted under. After a while you will become familiar with the categories and then it will become easier for you to assign them to posts.
As an editor, you are expected to thoroughly study and become very familiar with the various categories and their relationships to the different types of vacancies that are published so that you can accurately assign them to posts while editing.
There are presently 81 categories in all. Even though the link for creating a new category is available, only the Portal Administrator is allowed to create new categories and once in a while, a new one gets added. This means that you should not click on the “Create new category” link at any time. To help you in getting familiar with the categories and how to assign them to posts, go through the already published posts on the portal. They usually have a small box below the heading that lists the categories of that vacancy. Scan through the vacancy and take note of the categories that it was posted under. After a while you will become familiar with the categories and then it will become easier for you to assign them to posts.
To round up this section
To round up this section on developing the titles for posts, it is worthwhile to mention that the art of writing titles in line with the portal standards is something that can easily be mastered with constant practice.
Standardizing the format of titles in this manner gives the portal a more uniform and organized look therefore you are expected to adhere as strictly as possible to these rules. However, there are scenarios which differ slightly from the examples presented in this section or which are a combination of the different scenarios. In such cases, your intuition and discretion must come into play in developing a title that adheres to the standards as closely as possible.
New editors are advised to go to the portal home page, click on any vacancy, scroll down the page and study the titles used in the various listings that come after the actual vacancy itself (i.e. under “Similar Jobs”, “Popular jobs” and “Today’s Latest Jobs”).
Studying the already existing titles of the portal will give you a good head start in the art of writing titles to meet the required portal standards.
When checking out titles, ignore the ones that are listed on the right hand column of the portal because they are from external sources.
Standardizing the format of titles in this manner gives the portal a more uniform and organized look therefore you are expected to adhere as strictly as possible to these rules. However, there are scenarios which differ slightly from the examples presented in this section or which are a combination of the different scenarios. In such cases, your intuition and discretion must come into play in developing a title that adheres to the standards as closely as possible.
New editors are advised to go to the portal home page, click on any vacancy, scroll down the page and study the titles used in the various listings that come after the actual vacancy itself (i.e. under “Similar Jobs”, “Popular jobs” and “Today’s Latest Jobs”).
Studying the already existing titles of the portal will give you a good head start in the art of writing titles to meet the required portal standards.
When checking out titles, ignore the ones that are listed on the right hand column of the portal because they are from external sources.
Whether the location of the job is specified or not
Some vacancies explicitly specify the town, city or state that the job is based. Only when the specific location of the job is mentioned in the vacancy text should it be included in the title. Study the examples in the previous scenarios to understand where to use and where not to include the job location in the title.
When new graduates are required
Special attention should be paid to scenarios where new graduates without experience are being required. For this case, the word “Graduate” or “Fresh Graduate” must be included in the title.
Fresh graduates refer to NYSC or University graduates without experience. Management Trainee jobs, NYSC Jobs, Sales and Marketing jobs often fall into the Fresh Graduate category.
OND, HND, Trade Test, C&G etc do not fall into the Fresh Graduate category because these are Polytechnic Graduates so when such vacancies occur without the experience requirement, you are not to use Fresh Graduate. Rather for the title, the qualification e.g. OND, HND can be used. However, you may still choose to include the word “Graduate” in the title at your discretion, especially if the title is short.
Please note that Bachelor’s Degrees e.g. BSc, B.Eng, BA etc are University Degrees but OND, HND etc are not. See appendix for more details on qualifications and their classes.
When new graduates are required
Special attention should be paid to scenarios where new graduates without experience are being required. For this case, the word “Graduate” or “Fresh Graduate” must be included in the title.
Fresh graduates refer to NYSC or University graduates without experience. Management Trainee jobs, NYSC Jobs, Sales and Marketing jobs often fall into the Fresh Graduate category.
OND, HND, Trade Test, C&G etc do not fall into the Fresh Graduate category because these are Polytechnic Graduates so when such vacancies occur without the experience requirement, you are not to use Fresh Graduate. Rather for the title, the qualification e.g. OND, HND can be used. However, you may still choose to include the word “Graduate” in the title at your discretion, especially if the title is short.
Please note that Bachelor’s Degrees e.g. BSc, B.Eng, BA etc are University Degrees but OND, HND etc are not. See appendix for more details on qualifications and their classes.
Rearrange the segments in their correct order
According to portal standards, the various segments of a vacancy should be arranged in a particular order. This is:
a. Position or Title of Job/Vacancy
b. Company Information
c. Job Description/Background/Responsibilities
d. Qualification
e. Experience
f. How to Apply
g. Deadline
Each of these segments must be placed according to the order above. Sometimes the source text may contain these segments but not in the order specified above. It is your duty to rearrange these segments in the required order.
As mentioned previously, the segments listed in bold (a, d, f and g) are core segments that must be present in every edited vacancy. Most times, the source text may contain this information but may not separate it into segments as required therefore you must create these segments where necessary.
Add any missing core segments
In many cases, some source text may contain additional segments that are not included in the above list. These extra segments include things like salary, age range, start date etc.
These extra segments are not to be removed but should be included in the final edit. However if they are not already under their own segment heading, a new one should not be created just for them rather they should remain as part of the paragraph in which they are included.
a. Position or Title of Job/Vacancy
b. Company Information
c. Job Description/Background/Responsibilities
d. Qualification
e. Experience
f. How to Apply
g. Deadline
Each of these segments must be placed according to the order above. Sometimes the source text may contain these segments but not in the order specified above. It is your duty to rearrange these segments in the required order.
As mentioned previously, the segments listed in bold (a, d, f and g) are core segments that must be present in every edited vacancy. Most times, the source text may contain this information but may not separate it into segments as required therefore you must create these segments where necessary.
Add any missing core segments
In many cases, some source text may contain additional segments that are not included in the above list. These extra segments include things like salary, age range, start date etc.
These extra segments are not to be removed but should be included in the final edit. However if they are not already under their own segment heading, a new one should not be created just for them rather they should remain as part of the paragraph in which they are included.
Break up large bodies of text and separate paragraphs using full line breaks
Paragraphs are bodies of text comprised of between 5 to 10 lines. According to the portal standards for post formatting, paragraphs should be separated by a full line break. A full line break puts a single blank line between two paragraphs.
You are expected to scan through the source text and if there is any large body of text joined together, pick a point where the large body can be split into two separate paragraphs that are roughly the same length.
Sometimes the source post contains large amounts of text consisting of more than 10 lines that are joined together like so (the yellow area indicates where we decide to break the text into two paragraphs):
Pef Sleek is a marketing communications company in Nigeria. Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an organization’s success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients. When planning your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services. By ensuring direction, clarity, consistency, timing and appearance of your messages, conveyed to your targeted audience, these factors will help avoid any confusion about the benefits of your brand, through the connection of instant product recognition.
This should be edited to become:
Pef Sleek is a marketing communications company in Nigeria. Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an organization’s success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients.
When planning your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services. By ensuring direction, clarity, consistency, timing and appearance of your messages, conveyed to your targeted audience, these factors will help avoid any confusion about the benefits of your brand, through the connection of instant product recognition.
Notice that the space between the paragraphs is equivalent to a full blank line. This sort of line break is known as full line break and is done by pressing “Enter”.
Another type of line break known as a shift break goes to the next line without leaving any space in between. It is obtained by pressing Ctrl and Enter at the same time. We shall see the shift break in use in the next step.
You are expected to scan through the source text and if there is any large body of text joined together, pick a point where the large body can be split into two separate paragraphs that are roughly the same length.
Sometimes the source post contains large amounts of text consisting of more than 10 lines that are joined together like so (the yellow area indicates where we decide to break the text into two paragraphs):
Pef Sleek is a marketing communications company in Nigeria. Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an organization’s success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients. When planning your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services. By ensuring direction, clarity, consistency, timing and appearance of your messages, conveyed to your targeted audience, these factors will help avoid any confusion about the benefits of your brand, through the connection of instant product recognition.
This should be edited to become:
Pef Sleek is a marketing communications company in Nigeria. Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an organization’s success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients.
When planning your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services. By ensuring direction, clarity, consistency, timing and appearance of your messages, conveyed to your targeted audience, these factors will help avoid any confusion about the benefits of your brand, through the connection of instant product recognition.
Notice that the space between the paragraphs is equivalent to a full blank line. This sort of line break is known as full line break and is done by pressing “Enter”.
Another type of line break known as a shift break goes to the next line without leaving any space in between. It is obtained by pressing Ctrl and Enter at the same time. We shall see the shift break in use in the next step.
Correct any spelling errors
Correct any spelling errors
After pasting the source text into FrontPage and removing unwanted links, scan through the entire text to discover and correct any errors in spelling that might be present. Like other Microsoft Office programs, FrontPage will usually point out words which it believes have not been spelled correctly. It does this by underlining the word with a thin red line. You can either modify the word directly or right click on the word to get suggested corrections.
Separate words that are joined together:
Sometimes two or more words in the text may be joined together. FrontPage will flag this as an error by putting a faint red line under it. You are expected to use your intuition to figure out what should be there and separate the words accordingly. For example:
Vacancyexists for a qualifiedresident doctor in a hospitalin Lagos
The correct text should be:
Vacancy exists for a qualified resident doctor in a hospital in Lagos
Cover lines that break midway
Due to the changes that occur during copying, some lines may look incomplete or break midway to another line. An example is shown below:
Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an
organization’s
success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for
your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating
the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients.When planning
your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the
coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services.
The above text should be condensed to become:
Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an
organization’s success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients. When planning your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services.
After pasting the source text into FrontPage and removing unwanted links, scan through the entire text to discover and correct any errors in spelling that might be present. Like other Microsoft Office programs, FrontPage will usually point out words which it believes have not been spelled correctly. It does this by underlining the word with a thin red line. You can either modify the word directly or right click on the word to get suggested corrections.
Separate words that are joined together:
Sometimes two or more words in the text may be joined together. FrontPage will flag this as an error by putting a faint red line under it. You are expected to use your intuition to figure out what should be there and separate the words accordingly. For example:
Vacancyexists for a qualifiedresident doctor in a hospitalin Lagos
The correct text should be:
Vacancy exists for a qualified resident doctor in a hospital in Lagos
Cover lines that break midway
Due to the changes that occur during copying, some lines may look incomplete or break midway to another line. An example is shown below:
Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an
organization’s
success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for
your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating
the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients.When planning
your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the
coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services.
The above text should be condensed to become:
Communication is always one of the most important and vital strategic areas of an
organization’s success. You can have the best or most innovative products or services, but if your internal and external communications are weak, then the demand for your products or services raises a personal flag of concern. When communicating the value of your products or services, you want to focus on how they will benefit your clients. When planning your strategy for Marketing Communication or MC, you want to have dialogue with your customers by inviting interaction through the coordinated efforts of content, timing and delivery of your products or services.
Obtain Company profile information
Though not one of the required core segments, the company profile of the recruiting company should be included where available. Many vacancies come from the source without much information or with too little information about the recruiting company.
Where possible, you are expected to visit the company’s website if they have one and look for the company profile among its links. Here’s how this can be done:
Sometimes an email address for online application or enquiries is provided in the vacancy. The editor can tell if this email is for the company’s official website or if it’s a free public email address. The free addresses include those that are @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com, @rocketmail.com, @ymail.com, @aol.com etc.
For company email addresses, the part after the “@” sign may be the same or similar to the company name e.g. @gabrosventures.com, @mtnonline.com, @gloworld.com, @kennethcole.com, @truemedia.tv etc
Examples of free email addresses:
threecrownslimited@mycompany.com, jobs40@yahoo.com, humanresource2232@gmail.com, omegaventures@live.com
Examples of company email addresses:
Taiye.owolabi@trueimagesplc.com, hr@gloworld.com, careers@surftechltd.cc
If the email address is that of the company, then to get the website of the company, open a new browser and add www to the name that is written after the @ in the email address. For example in the above examples, the websites would be:
www.trueimagesplc.com, www.gloworld.com, www.surftechltd.cc
When you have thus gotten the website of the company, you should then look around the site for the company profile information. Some websites usually have a profile or description of the company profile on their first page while many others have a link called “About Us” or “About the Company” under which one can usually find things like Company profile, Company history, Mission, Vision etc.
You should copy between 8 to 15 lines of this description or just enough information that can provide a reasonable description of the company and what they do.
Having copied the company profile, you can now go back to the FrontPage editor and paste this information, adding it to the vacancy text before proceeding to the next step. If the vacancy already contains a short description of the company, you should replace it with the new and longer profile info that you have just obtained.
Where possible, you are expected to visit the company’s website if they have one and look for the company profile among its links. Here’s how this can be done:
Sometimes an email address for online application or enquiries is provided in the vacancy. The editor can tell if this email is for the company’s official website or if it’s a free public email address. The free addresses include those that are @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com, @rocketmail.com, @ymail.com, @aol.com etc.
For company email addresses, the part after the “@” sign may be the same or similar to the company name e.g. @gabrosventures.com, @mtnonline.com, @gloworld.com, @kennethcole.com, @truemedia.tv etc
Examples of free email addresses:
threecrownslimited@mycompany.com, jobs40@yahoo.com, humanresource2232@gmail.com, omegaventures@live.com
Examples of company email addresses:
Taiye.owolabi@trueimagesplc.com, hr@gloworld.com, careers@surftechltd.cc
If the email address is that of the company, then to get the website of the company, open a new browser and add www to the name that is written after the @ in the email address. For example in the above examples, the websites would be:
www.trueimagesplc.com, www.gloworld.com, www.surftechltd.cc
When you have thus gotten the website of the company, you should then look around the site for the company profile information. Some websites usually have a profile or description of the company profile on their first page while many others have a link called “About Us” or “About the Company” under which one can usually find things like Company profile, Company history, Mission, Vision etc.
You should copy between 8 to 15 lines of this description or just enough information that can provide a reasonable description of the company and what they do.
Having copied the company profile, you can now go back to the FrontPage editor and paste this information, adding it to the vacancy text before proceeding to the next step. If the vacancy already contains a short description of the company, you should replace it with the new and longer profile info that you have just obtained.
Clear or retain the source formatting
Sometimes when the text is pasted into the editor, the whole thing looks very scattered even though it was very neat and uniform at the source website. This is very common when pasting company information text (as explained in step 3 below).
The reason for this scattering is due to formatting irregularities. To solve this situation, FrontPage offers you the option to retain the formatting from the source or to discard all formatting leaving behind only plain text.
After the text has been pasted, an icon appears near the bottom. Clicking on the icon reveals further options:
If the text looks reasonably arranged and is not scattered, select the first option which is to keep the formatting that came with the source text. On the other hand, if it is very scattered or does not blend well with the already existing text (in the case of company profiles), select the second option which discards any formatting and instead blends the pasted text with the formatting of the already existing text.
The reason for this scattering is due to formatting irregularities. To solve this situation, FrontPage offers you the option to retain the formatting from the source or to discard all formatting leaving behind only plain text.
After the text has been pasted, an icon appears near the bottom. Clicking on the icon reveals further options:
If the text looks reasonably arranged and is not scattered, select the first option which is to keep the formatting that came with the source text. On the other hand, if it is very scattered or does not blend well with the already existing text (in the case of company profiles), select the second option which discards any formatting and instead blends the pasted text with the formatting of the already existing text.
The Editing Steps
Editing a vacancy requires specific steps which may be done in the exact order listed below or according to any order that you are comfortable with. You must always be conscious of optimizing your time so that you are able to get more work done in as little time as possible.
The steps are:
1. Paste the source text into the editing area.
2. Clear or retain the source formatting
3. Obtain and paste company profile
4. Remove unwanted links
5. Correct any spelling errors
6. Separate words that are joined together
7. Cover lines that break midway
8. Break up large bodies of text and separate paragraphs using full line breaks
9. Put shift breaks between sub headings and the text below them
10. Separate multiple headings with single line breaks
11. Rearrange the segments in their correct order
12. Add any missing core segments
We shall now look at each step in detail.
The steps are:
1. Paste the source text into the editing area.
2. Clear or retain the source formatting
3. Obtain and paste company profile
4. Remove unwanted links
5. Correct any spelling errors
6. Separate words that are joined together
7. Cover lines that break midway
8. Break up large bodies of text and separate paragraphs using full line breaks
9. Put shift breaks between sub headings and the text below them
10. Separate multiple headings with single line breaks
11. Rearrange the segments in their correct order
12. Add any missing core segments
We shall now look at each step in detail.
Modifying and Editing the Source Text
The source text of many vacancies are usually roughly arranged and do not meet up to our publishing standards. It is for this reason that editing is required. After the text is copied from the source and pasted into FrontPage, there is usually a need to make a few corrections and modifications before it can be submitted for review.
Every vacancy is comprised of a few key sections or segments. While some vacancies have all of the segments listed below, many will only have a couple of them.
These segments/sections include:
· Position or Title of Job/Vacancy
· Company Information
· Job Description/Background/Responsibilities
· Qualification
· Experience
· How to Apply
· Deadline Although all of the segments above are important, the ones in bold are regarded as core. These ones are more important than the others and must be present in every vacancy. If they are not explicitly separated in the source text, they must be created during editing.
Every vacancy is comprised of a few key sections or segments. While some vacancies have all of the segments listed below, many will only have a couple of them.
These segments/sections include:
· Position or Title of Job/Vacancy
· Company Information
· Job Description/Background/Responsibilities
· Qualification
· Experience
· How to Apply
· Deadline Although all of the segments above are important, the ones in bold are regarded as core. These ones are more important than the others and must be present in every vacancy. If they are not explicitly separated in the source text, they must be created during editing.
April 29, 2011
More on E-Gold
You are now probably thinking “I guess I understand how this E-Gold think works, but how do I buy this gold for my account and how do I get it back to ready cash and HOW SOON can it be done?”.
Well, don’t fret because the answer to your question is the very reason why e-gold has become as popular as it is today especially with international Forex traders and Internet business men.
Who will buy my gold?
There are many companies whose business is to buy and sell gold, thereby converting it to cash. Better still, there are many local versions of these companies.
For example, several companies in Nigeria will allow you to pay money (in naira) into their bank account here in Nigeria. This money is then converted to its equivalent in gold and used to fund your e-gold according to their exchange rate.
My personal recommendation for buying and selling e-gold is Dempaynigeria. I have found them to be very reliable and their rates are actually the lowest that I’ve come across so far. They will usually fund your account within 24 hours. They also have a sister company, who will buy gold from you and pay you in naira.
Well, don’t fret because the answer to your question is the very reason why e-gold has become as popular as it is today especially with international Forex traders and Internet business men.
Who will buy my gold?
There are many companies whose business is to buy and sell gold, thereby converting it to cash. Better still, there are many local versions of these companies.
For example, several companies in Nigeria will allow you to pay money (in naira) into their bank account here in Nigeria. This money is then converted to its equivalent in gold and used to fund your e-gold according to their exchange rate.
My personal recommendation for buying and selling e-gold is Dempaynigeria. I have found them to be very reliable and their rates are actually the lowest that I’ve come across so far. They will usually fund your account within 24 hours. They also have a sister company, who will buy gold from you and pay you in naira.
What is E-Gold?
Although I am tempted to paraphrase what is written on the E-Gold website, I think it would be much easier for you to understand if I explain it in the simplest way I can.
E-Gold is a kind of online payment system where the money used is called gold (the E-Gold website says it is actually backed by Gold). So instead of paying for things in, say, dollars, you pay for them in gold.
To use E-Gold, you must have an E-Gold account. (To open one is free; we’ll get to that soon). So let’s say you want to pay for something with E-Gold. What you do is purchase an amount of gold equivalent to the currency you want to use, e.g you may purchase $100 worth of gold from a gold seller and send this amount of gold to the person you are paying who will the sell it to a buyer to retrieve his/her funds.
Because E-Gold is a very common means of payment and also because there are companies who trade daily in buying/selling gold, one does not necessarily have to convert gold to cash all the time.
Having gold in your E-Gold account means that you can pay money securely online at anytime to anybody who has an E-Gold account. In a very real way, E-Gold might just be emerging as the new universal currency on the web.
So let’s say that you want to add funds to your Marketiva trading account, all you need to do is to first make sure you have the equivalent in gold in your E-Gold account because you will pay directly to Marketiva’s E-Gold account via the form that will be presented to you when you click on the “Deposit by E-Gold” link.
The steps to withdrawing funds using E-Gold are similar to those for making deposits but this time Marketiva is sending money to your E-Gold account. For this service, a small once-only transaction fee is charged by Marketiva (Note that E-Gold exchanges also have transaction fees involved). Note also: For security reasons, Marketiva will not pay to an E-Gold account unless it has previously been used to deposit money into the trading account. More help on this can be found in the help section of the Marketiva website.
E-Gold is a kind of online payment system where the money used is called gold (the E-Gold website says it is actually backed by Gold). So instead of paying for things in, say, dollars, you pay for them in gold.
To use E-Gold, you must have an E-Gold account. (To open one is free; we’ll get to that soon). So let’s say you want to pay for something with E-Gold. What you do is purchase an amount of gold equivalent to the currency you want to use, e.g you may purchase $100 worth of gold from a gold seller and send this amount of gold to the person you are paying who will the sell it to a buyer to retrieve his/her funds.
Because E-Gold is a very common means of payment and also because there are companies who trade daily in buying/selling gold, one does not necessarily have to convert gold to cash all the time.
Having gold in your E-Gold account means that you can pay money securely online at anytime to anybody who has an E-Gold account. In a very real way, E-Gold might just be emerging as the new universal currency on the web.
So let’s say that you want to add funds to your Marketiva trading account, all you need to do is to first make sure you have the equivalent in gold in your E-Gold account because you will pay directly to Marketiva’s E-Gold account via the form that will be presented to you when you click on the “Deposit by E-Gold” link.
The steps to withdrawing funds using E-Gold are similar to those for making deposits but this time Marketiva is sending money to your E-Gold account. For this service, a small once-only transaction fee is charged by Marketiva (Note that E-Gold exchanges also have transaction fees involved). Note also: For security reasons, Marketiva will not pay to an E-Gold account unless it has previously been used to deposit money into the trading account. More help on this can be found in the help section of the Marketiva website.
The Second Part of This Tutorial
Remember: This tutorial deals only with how to use the streamster server to execute trades. It does not cover HOW to trade. If you are interested in learning how to trade, you will find the resources listed in Part 3 of immense benefit.
PART 2: Money Matters
The second part of this tutorial deals with the financial aspects of Forex trading. It will show you how to:
* Monitor your account.
* Put money into your trading account.
* Withdraw money from your trading account
The trading account
When you register with any broker, an account called a trading account is also opened for you. This account is where all matters regarding funds and finances are monitored. The Marketiva Account Center is another place where you can monitor your account but this time in a web based environment. When you log in and click on Account Center on the navigation bar near the top of the page, you see this screen below. Take note of the area circled in red. It contains the main links for the accounts center. We shall look at one or two of those links shortly. (Note: The different types of sub accounts are called desks here)
To deposit funds, click on the Deposit Funds link. When the page below comes up, we are presented with three options. In this tutorial, we shall talk about E-Gold which is the simplest, cheapest and most reliable way which I have found of funding my trading account. E-Gold is highly recommended for International traders.
PART 2: Money Matters
The second part of this tutorial deals with the financial aspects of Forex trading. It will show you how to:
* Monitor your account.
* Put money into your trading account.
* Withdraw money from your trading account
The trading account
When you register with any broker, an account called a trading account is also opened for you. This account is where all matters regarding funds and finances are monitored. The Marketiva Account Center is another place where you can monitor your account but this time in a web based environment. When you log in and click on Account Center on the navigation bar near the top of the page, you see this screen below. Take note of the area circled in red. It contains the main links for the accounts center. We shall look at one or two of those links shortly. (Note: The different types of sub accounts are called desks here)
To deposit funds, click on the Deposit Funds link. When the page below comes up, we are presented with three options. In this tutorial, we shall talk about E-Gold which is the simplest, cheapest and most reliable way which I have found of funding my trading account. E-Gold is highly recommended for International traders.
Tabs in Sector 4
The Account Center Tab (Sector 4)
This tab provides a convenient location from which you can manage every aspect of your account. Here you can view account summaries/breakdowns, add and remove funds from your account and manage your profile. Its functions and usage are basically the same with the web based version described in Part 3 of this tutorial.
The Positions tab (Section 4)
Here you can view the state of all positions that are currently open or recently closed. Clicking on the “Clear” button erases all the closed positions so that you can only see the ones that are currently open. The Close All button will close several positions at once based on the option you select from the box that pops up when you click on the button (options are All positions, Short positions only and Long positions only).
Tip: Short positions are trades where you executed a sell order, while Long positions are trades where you executed a buy order.
The Charting tab (Section 4)
This tab sill display a time based chart of any selected currency pair. Right clicking within the chart itself provides additional options for this tab, including the chart type, time scale, currency pair and buy/sell options. These charts can prove very helpful by giving a visual representation of the state and recent history of the particular instrument in the market.
It also provides an extensive choice of tools (indicators) that can be used to analyse the charts in real time. Play around with the other options because this chart may become an indispensable tool in your forex trading career.
This tab provides a convenient location from which you can manage every aspect of your account. Here you can view account summaries/breakdowns, add and remove funds from your account and manage your profile. Its functions and usage are basically the same with the web based version described in Part 3 of this tutorial.
The Positions tab (Section 4)
Here you can view the state of all positions that are currently open or recently closed. Clicking on the “Clear” button erases all the closed positions so that you can only see the ones that are currently open. The Close All button will close several positions at once based on the option you select from the box that pops up when you click on the button (options are All positions, Short positions only and Long positions only).
Tip: Short positions are trades where you executed a sell order, while Long positions are trades where you executed a buy order.
The Charting tab (Section 4)
This tab sill display a time based chart of any selected currency pair. Right clicking within the chart itself provides additional options for this tab, including the chart type, time scale, currency pair and buy/sell options. These charts can prove very helpful by giving a visual representation of the state and recent history of the particular instrument in the market.
It also provides an extensive choice of tools (indicators) that can be used to analyse the charts in real time. Play around with the other options because this chart may become an indispensable tool in your forex trading career.
Open and Close Positions
Opening a position/executing a trade from the Forex Trades tab is done by clicking on the particular instrument you want to trade from the Currency column. On doing this, the below box pops up:
This box has different options available as dropdown lists. The different options help you to define the characteristics of the trade which you want to execute.
The other available options are shown below:
Notice that in the screenshots above, the “Duration” field on the left is greyed out because it is tied to the “Duration Type” field to its right. Selecting “Good Till Cancelled” as the duration type means that you intend to close the position manually. However, these same fields provide you with the option of setting a particular date for a position to be closed automatically.
So let us see the other options available to us and what happens to the Duration field when we select another option.
And lastly, the desk option where we can select which account we wish to execute the trade with.
This box has different options available as dropdown lists. The different options help you to define the characteristics of the trade which you want to execute.
The other available options are shown below:
Notice that in the screenshots above, the “Duration” field on the left is greyed out because it is tied to the “Duration Type” field to its right. Selecting “Good Till Cancelled” as the duration type means that you intend to close the position manually. However, these same fields provide you with the option of setting a particular date for a position to be closed automatically.
So let us see the other options available to us and what happens to the Duration field when we select another option.
And lastly, the desk option where we can select which account we wish to execute the trade with.
Tabs and Sectors
Sector 3 Sector 3 provides up to the second news and stories from around the world which are relevant to the Forex market.
Section 4 Deals directly with the actual trades. It is further broken down into orders, trades, positions, charting, discussions and account center.
Now that you have a general idea of what the trading platform looks like, let us look at selected sections/tabs that will be of immediate interest to a first time trader.
The Portfolio tab (Sector 1).
Portfolio tab
This tab shows how much is in each account (live and demo/virtual). This tab will also show the profit and/or losses that are being obtained while trades are being executed.
The Forex Rates tab (Sector 2)
Forex Rates tab
This tab displays a summary of the current relevant data for all the currency pairs available to you. This tab is one of the primary areas where you can execute a trade (or “open a position”). Before we look at how to do this, let me first explain some of the various columns showing on this tab and then we shall see how to add and remove the instruments on display in this tab.
Columns
Currency:
Last:
Bid:
Offer:
Change:
High:
Low:
To add or remove instruments, click on subscriptions…
Section 4 Deals directly with the actual trades. It is further broken down into orders, trades, positions, charting, discussions and account center.
Now that you have a general idea of what the trading platform looks like, let us look at selected sections/tabs that will be of immediate interest to a first time trader.
The Portfolio tab (Sector 1).
Portfolio tab
This tab shows how much is in each account (live and demo/virtual). This tab will also show the profit and/or losses that are being obtained while trades are being executed.
The Forex Rates tab (Sector 2)
Forex Rates tab
This tab displays a summary of the current relevant data for all the currency pairs available to you. This tab is one of the primary areas where you can execute a trade (or “open a position”). Before we look at how to do this, let me first explain some of the various columns showing on this tab and then we shall see how to add and remove the instruments on display in this tab.
Columns
Currency:
Last:
Bid:
Offer:
Change:
High:
Low:
To add or remove instruments, click on subscriptions…
Marketiva Streamster Beginner’s Tutorial
I shall begin with an overview of the application’s home screen before we take a closer look at the various sections.
The Streamster trading platform is divided into 4 major sectors having adjustable borders that allow you to resize the boundaries to suit your needs (the straight red lines in the image below show these borders). If you place your mouse directly over these borders, the cursor changes to a cross and then you can click and drag at will.
Sector 1 contains two tabs called Portfolio and Alerts. Alerts tell you when announcements and other events that affect the market are scheduled to come up. Portfolio shows you the current status of your various accounts (live, demo/virtual etc). It also shows you how much profit or loss you are making when you have any open trades (also known as open positions).
Sector 2 contains two tabs, Forex rates and Fund Rates. We shall look only at the Forex Rates tab because this is all we need to worry about at this stage. The Forex Rates tab displays current data for each currency pair (or instrument) available for us to trade. Later on we shall take a look at what each column denotes and how we can add/remove currency pairs.
The Streamster trading platform is divided into 4 major sectors having adjustable borders that allow you to resize the boundaries to suit your needs (the straight red lines in the image below show these borders). If you place your mouse directly over these borders, the cursor changes to a cross and then you can click and drag at will.
Sector 1 contains two tabs called Portfolio and Alerts. Alerts tell you when announcements and other events that affect the market are scheduled to come up. Portfolio shows you the current status of your various accounts (live, demo/virtual etc). It also shows you how much profit or loss you are making when you have any open trades (also known as open positions).
Sector 2 contains two tabs, Forex rates and Fund Rates. We shall look only at the Forex Rates tab because this is all we need to worry about at this stage. The Forex Rates tab displays current data for each currency pair (or instrument) available for us to trade. Later on we shall take a look at what each column denotes and how we can add/remove currency pairs.
April 13, 2011
Install the Streamster trading platform, sign in and start trading
Now that you have downloaded your broker’s trading platform, you must install it before you can start using it. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded it to and click on the Streamster setup icon:
After installation is complete, you will find the Marketiva icon on the desktop.
Clicking on it launches the platform which asks for a username and password. After entering these, you may have to wait for a short while as a connection to the Streamster server is established and any required software update is made.
Finally you get the Streamster welcome screen:
Note: Yours may look slightly different because the visible tabs on this one have been modified but this is still basically what you’ll see the first time you login.
We will now look at how the Streamster software works and how trades are executed.
After installation is complete, you will find the Marketiva icon on the desktop.
Clicking on it launches the platform which asks for a username and password. After entering these, you may have to wait for a short while as a connection to the Streamster server is established and any required software update is made.
Finally you get the Streamster welcome screen:
Note: Yours may look slightly different because the visible tabs on this one have been modified but this is still basically what you’ll see the first time you login.
We will now look at how the Streamster software works and how trades are executed.
Install the Streamster trading platform, sign in and start trading
Now that you have downloaded your broker’s trading platform, you must install it before you can start using it. Navigate to the folder where you downloaded it to and click on the Streamster setup icon:
After installation is complete, you will find the Marketiva icon on the desktop.
Clicking on it launches the platform which asks for a username and password. After entering these, you may have to wait for a short while as a connection to the Streamster server is established and any required software update is made.
Finally you get the Streamster welcome screen:
Note: Yours may look slightly different because the visible tabs on this one have been modified but this is still basically what you’ll see the first time you login.
We will now look at how the Streamster software works and how trades are executed.
After installation is complete, you will find the Marketiva icon on the desktop.
Clicking on it launches the platform which asks for a username and password. After entering these, you may have to wait for a short while as a connection to the Streamster server is established and any required software update is made.
Finally you get the Streamster welcome screen:
Note: Yours may look slightly different because the visible tabs on this one have been modified but this is still basically what you’ll see the first time you login.
We will now look at how the Streamster software works and how trades are executed.
A word about Marketiva and the Streamster trading platform
When I first got into Forex, I started out with a broker who uses a web based trading platform which I found out to be unreliable. I later struggled with two other brokers/platforms until someone recommended Marketiva. The first time I used their system, I was so impressed by the serious difference in performance between them and the others which I had already tried. Indeed the difference was so striking that I wondered where they had been all this while.
As it turns out, I have been using Marketiva since December 2006 and so far their performance has been highly commendable and I have not found any reason to complain. The support is great, their commissions reasonable and spread is OK, their trade execution time is very good and they also allow for traders to trade with as little as $1 where other brokers generally would only accept a minimum balance of $250 upwards. They also make it very very easy for international traders who do not have access to US/European credit cards or bank accounts to deposit and withdraw money from their trading accounts.
My recommendation
Marketiva rates as one of the best international-user-friendly Forex brokers around. Their Streamster trading platform is undoubtedly the best that I have used. I therefore strongly recommend them especially for international forex traders (i.e. Forex traders that live outside the US).
Down to business
First I shall guide you in registering with the broker called Marketiva. Next we will download and install their Streamster trading platform and lastly I will explain some points about using the Streamster platform to trade.
As it turns out, I have been using Marketiva since December 2006 and so far their performance has been highly commendable and I have not found any reason to complain. The support is great, their commissions reasonable and spread is OK, their trade execution time is very good and they also allow for traders to trade with as little as $1 where other brokers generally would only accept a minimum balance of $250 upwards. They also make it very very easy for international traders who do not have access to US/European credit cards or bank accounts to deposit and withdraw money from their trading accounts.
My recommendation
Marketiva rates as one of the best international-user-friendly Forex brokers around. Their Streamster trading platform is undoubtedly the best that I have used. I therefore strongly recommend them especially for international forex traders (i.e. Forex traders that live outside the US).
Down to business
First I shall guide you in registering with the broker called Marketiva. Next we will download and install their Streamster trading platform and lastly I will explain some points about using the Streamster platform to trade.
In the past...
In the past, all of this communication was done mostly by phone but with the emergence of Internet technology, it is now possible to perform all of this back and forth communication automatically using software or web based applications. When using these applications, executing trades is very easy because all you have to do is click on buy/sell for that currency pair and your broker is notified immediately and the trade is therefore executed immediately too. All automatic!
These applications are known as Forex Trading platforms and each broker usually provides their own platforms that offer various other features besides the actual trading execution for the convenience of the user which is you the trader.
For this tutorial, we shall be using one of the most popular and reliable brokers in the business: Marketiva. The name of their trading platform is Streamster and it comes with several useful tools and features, a very easy to use interface plus a very friendly introductory offer for first timers that I have not been able to find elsewher.
These applications are known as Forex Trading platforms and each broker usually provides their own platforms that offer various other features besides the actual trading execution for the convenience of the user which is you the trader.
For this tutorial, we shall be using one of the most popular and reliable brokers in the business: Marketiva. The name of their trading platform is Streamster and it comes with several useful tools and features, a very easy to use interface plus a very friendly introductory offer for first timers that I have not been able to find elsewher.
The market, the trading platform, the broker and you
In Forex trading, individuals like you cannot enter the market on their own. There must be a middle man involved, this middle man is known as a Forex broker (similar to a stock broker).
A forex broker is usually a registered company or financial house that accepts trading requests from individuals and then performs these trades on behalf of the individual for a commission.
For example, let us say you, as an individual wish to buy the currency pair (also called instrument) of USD/JPY on the Forex market. This is how it happens: You inform your broker that you wish to buy so and so quantity of USD/JPY, your broker then connects to the main Forex market and executes this trade on your behalf (i.e. buys the currency pair that you specify). When you are now ready to sell this currency pair, again you notify your broker who performs the actual trade on your behalf.
Now I’m sure you are probably wondering how you are expected to communicate with your broker. You may also be wondering if all this back and forth communication between you, the broker and the market is not going to be tedious and time wasting because in Forex trading, a delay of as little as 0.1 second can prove disastrous.
Well, wonder no more because this is where the trading platform comes into play.
A forex broker is usually a registered company or financial house that accepts trading requests from individuals and then performs these trades on behalf of the individual for a commission.
For example, let us say you, as an individual wish to buy the currency pair (also called instrument) of USD/JPY on the Forex market. This is how it happens: You inform your broker that you wish to buy so and so quantity of USD/JPY, your broker then connects to the main Forex market and executes this trade on your behalf (i.e. buys the currency pair that you specify). When you are now ready to sell this currency pair, again you notify your broker who performs the actual trade on your behalf.
Now I’m sure you are probably wondering how you are expected to communicate with your broker. You may also be wondering if all this back and forth communication between you, the broker and the market is not going to be tedious and time wasting because in Forex trading, a delay of as little as 0.1 second can prove disastrous.
Well, wonder no more because this is where the trading platform comes into play.
Notes on signing up
Notes on signing up:
The sign up is made up of 4 stages. On the first page, you are asked to enter your personal information. Your password must be made up of letters and at least one number.
To save time, you can just fill only the questions that have the red asterisks and then click continue.
Next you will see the following screen asking you to choose a template:
On this page, leave User Template as “Standard Setup” and go to the bottom where it says “Recovery Question”, select any of the question options from the dropdown, enter an answer for that question as “Recovery Answer” and then click continue. The recovery answer should be something you can easily remember because in the event that you lose your password, you shall be required to provide this answer.
Next, you get this screen asking you to read and accept the Marketiva terms:
Make sure you read these and if you are OK, click on the checkbox (red circle) and then click “Finish”
The next screen that comes up will show that the account is being created so you will have to wait for a few seconds and if all goes well, a final screen appears after a few seconds with a direction to the download page of the Streamster trading platform
(NOTE: Apparently this platform is only available to Windows users according to this screen):
Click on “StreamsterTM Installation Package” (inside the red circle) to download the Trading platform. Note that your registration is complete even without downloading the platform at this stage, in fact by now a confirmation of your registration should have been sent to your email address.
If you are not ready to download yet, you can close this download page and come back to it at some other time by clicking on the “Get streamster” button on the navigation bar at the top of the website’s pages.
The sign up is made up of 4 stages. On the first page, you are asked to enter your personal information. Your password must be made up of letters and at least one number.
To save time, you can just fill only the questions that have the red asterisks and then click continue.
Next you will see the following screen asking you to choose a template:
On this page, leave User Template as “Standard Setup” and go to the bottom where it says “Recovery Question”, select any of the question options from the dropdown, enter an answer for that question as “Recovery Answer” and then click continue. The recovery answer should be something you can easily remember because in the event that you lose your password, you shall be required to provide this answer.
Next, you get this screen asking you to read and accept the Marketiva terms:
Make sure you read these and if you are OK, click on the checkbox (red circle) and then click “Finish”
The next screen that comes up will show that the account is being created so you will have to wait for a few seconds and if all goes well, a final screen appears after a few seconds with a direction to the download page of the Streamster trading platform
(NOTE: Apparently this platform is only available to Windows users according to this screen):
Click on “StreamsterTM Installation Package” (inside the red circle) to download the Trading platform. Note that your registration is complete even without downloading the platform at this stage, in fact by now a confirmation of your registration should have been sent to your email address.
If you are not ready to download yet, you can close this download page and come back to it at some other time by clicking on the “Get streamster” button on the navigation bar at the top of the website’s pages.
April 12, 2011
Part 1: Beginning Forex
Forex trading for individuals like you, as it is today, can mostly be done only on the Internet therefore, first and foremost you need to have access to the Internet. While it is of great importance that the connection is a high speed connection, it does not exactly mean that profitable trading cannot be done with a slow connection (but not too slow!) connection or from a cybercafé. It only reduces your chances of making the maximum profit and increases your chances of missing out on time dependent events.
Personally, I started trading from a cybercafé and was still able to make reasonable progress and raise money from my profits to get a better and more convenient Internet access.
So, with that settled, to begin Forex trading proper, you need to do a couple of things:
1. Register with a broker and Download their trading platform
2. Install the trading platform, sign in and start trading
Before I go ahead, I shall first explain to you what a broker is and what a trading platform is. Then I shall explain the relationship between you, your broker, your broker’s trading platform and the Forex market. Next I will show you how to register for a free account with $5 bonus, download the trading platform and learn how to trade using one of the most popular and possibly the best trading platforms available on the Internet today.
It is called Marketiva Streamster, it is undisputably the most popular trading platform among international forex traders), and it comes highly recommended by me.
Personally, I started trading from a cybercafé and was still able to make reasonable progress and raise money from my profits to get a better and more convenient Internet access.
So, with that settled, to begin Forex trading proper, you need to do a couple of things:
1. Register with a broker and Download their trading platform
2. Install the trading platform, sign in and start trading
Before I go ahead, I shall first explain to you what a broker is and what a trading platform is. Then I shall explain the relationship between you, your broker, your broker’s trading platform and the Forex market. Next I will show you how to register for a free account with $5 bonus, download the trading platform and learn how to trade using one of the most popular and possibly the best trading platforms available on the Internet today.
It is called Marketiva Streamster, it is undisputably the most popular trading platform among international forex traders), and it comes highly recommended by me.
What this tutorial covers
This tutorial only explains certain core aspects of the Marketiva Streamster trading platform. I have assumed that the reader already has a general idea of forex trading actions, terminology, events and trading rudiments.
To begin Forex trading proper, you need to do a couple of things:
1. Register with a broker and download their trading platform
2. Install the trading platform, sign in and start trading
This tutorial will explain what a broker is and show you how to perform the two actions above. It will also describe a very easy way to add funds to your trading account, monitor profits and withdraw money from the account.
And lastly, the tutorial shall offer some advice to first time traders and directions to important resources to get you off your feet in the shortest possible time.
To begin Forex trading proper, you need to do a couple of things:
1. Register with a broker and download their trading platform
2. Install the trading platform, sign in and start trading
This tutorial will explain what a broker is and show you how to perform the two actions above. It will also describe a very easy way to add funds to your trading account, monitor profits and withdraw money from the account.
And lastly, the tutorial shall offer some advice to first time traders and directions to important resources to get you off your feet in the shortest possible time.
Distribution notes
License
I have decided to release this tutorial under my own “license” and to use this document, you must abide to this license..
This tutorial is distributed for free. If it helps you or if you know someone who it might help, do not hesitate to send a copy to them.
This document must be distributed exactly as it is: complete with this license and without any modification. Any requests for permission to modify must be sent to tonyreji @ naijalive . net.
As it so happens (and quite happily too!), the trading platform and fund transaction methods described in this tutorial also run excellent referral programs. Therefore as a sort of compensation for the time and effort I put into creating and distributing this tutorial, I have used my affiliate referral links to these services and I encourage you to show some support by using these links.
Story
This is the very first draft of this tutorial. If it was an application then I would call this particular release beta1 :D I sincerely hope you get the joke).
In the future I plan to develop it into a full blown beginners guide but that would be done in stages.
The current version of this tutorial can be downloaded as a PDF file here :
OR viewed on the web here:
Who is this tutorial for?
This tutorial is meant for those who already know what Foex trading is but do not know exactly how to start the main trading proper.
Because I am Nigerian, I have inserted small bits of information targeted specifically at Nigerians. International readers may ignore these.
I have decided to release this tutorial under my own “license” and to use this document, you must abide to this license..
This tutorial is distributed for free. If it helps you or if you know someone who it might help, do not hesitate to send a copy to them.
This document must be distributed exactly as it is: complete with this license and without any modification. Any requests for permission to modify must be sent to tonyreji @ naijalive . net.
As it so happens (and quite happily too!), the trading platform and fund transaction methods described in this tutorial also run excellent referral programs. Therefore as a sort of compensation for the time and effort I put into creating and distributing this tutorial, I have used my affiliate referral links to these services and I encourage you to show some support by using these links.
Story
This is the very first draft of this tutorial. If it was an application then I would call this particular release beta1 :D I sincerely hope you get the joke).
In the future I plan to develop it into a full blown beginners guide but that would be done in stages.
The current version of this tutorial can be downloaded as a PDF file here :
OR viewed on the web here:
Who is this tutorial for?
This tutorial is meant for those who already know what Foex trading is but do not know exactly how to start the main trading proper.
Because I am Nigerian, I have inserted small bits of information targeted specifically at Nigerians. International readers may ignore these.
Why I wrote this Tutorial
This tutorial was inspired by the experience I had during the period when I first heard about Forex trading and how profitable it could be. The first time I heard about online Forex trading was from a newspaper article that I read. This article raised my curiosity with its promise of the prospects of earning a regular income from online Forex trading. In a country where employment rate ranges in the high 50% and Internet access being not so very far away, Forex seemed like the way out to all my problems.
So I went to the Internet to find out what I could and I was surprised at the sheer amount of information available on the subject. This made me very happy because I knew I could find out everything I needed to know so I started digging.
After a couple of weeks of regular research, I became satisfied with the amount of info that I had been able to gather, at least I now knew what Forex was, it’s history, how it really worked and numerous other tips on trading. At this point, I decided I was ready to begin but then I ran into a new problem which I had not realized before: I did not know exactly where to start.
Granted, I knew everything I needed to know for a beginner and I wanted to start performing the actual live trade and start making money, but I did not know WHERE EXACTLY TO BEGIN.
I kept asking myself:
“Now I know everything but where exactly the hell do I begin?”
“I know I need money to trade but who do I pay the money to? How exactly do I get MY money into the Forex market?”
And finally “When I start making money, how does it get to my hands at the end of the day?”
I searched high and low on the Internet for the answer to these questions but they were nowhere to be found.
This was when I realized that everybody on the Internet talks about Forex trading, making money, pips, trading tips etc but nobody remembers to show the absolute beginners or newbie newbies exactly where and how to start trading. What software to use to connect to the forex market, etc.
So this is why I decided to write this tutorial.
So I went to the Internet to find out what I could and I was surprised at the sheer amount of information available on the subject. This made me very happy because I knew I could find out everything I needed to know so I started digging.
After a couple of weeks of regular research, I became satisfied with the amount of info that I had been able to gather, at least I now knew what Forex was, it’s history, how it really worked and numerous other tips on trading. At this point, I decided I was ready to begin but then I ran into a new problem which I had not realized before: I did not know exactly where to start.
Granted, I knew everything I needed to know for a beginner and I wanted to start performing the actual live trade and start making money, but I did not know WHERE EXACTLY TO BEGIN.
I kept asking myself:
“Now I know everything but where exactly the hell do I begin?”
“I know I need money to trade but who do I pay the money to? How exactly do I get MY money into the Forex market?”
And finally “When I start making money, how does it get to my hands at the end of the day?”
I searched high and low on the Internet for the answer to these questions but they were nowhere to be found.
This was when I realized that everybody on the Internet talks about Forex trading, making money, pips, trading tips etc but nobody remembers to show the absolute beginners or newbie newbies exactly where and how to start trading. What software to use to connect to the forex market, etc.
So this is why I decided to write this tutorial.
The Process
1. Register with Marketiva.
Read this first:
On signing up, a bonus of $5 real money will be put in your account, plus $50,000 of practice money. With this, you can decide whether to perform trades using the practice $50,000 (demo account) or the real $5 (live account). The only difference between the two is that the live uses real money and the other uses dummy money therefore while the trades are exactly the same, only the profits (or losses) from the Live trades are real. The demo account is only meant for you to have something to practice with before venturing with real money.
When you put money into your account (called funding your account), it reflects in the Live account, similarly when you take out money, it is removed from the Live account. Money in the demo account cannot be withdrawn because it doesn’t actually exist.
It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you start off practicing with your demo account before trying to use live money.
Note also that after registration, you will be required to provide certain documentation showing proof of identity. It is advisable, therefore, to get these ready so that when you get the request for identification, you can attend to it immediately. Failure to provide these documents will cause your account to be suspended until you provide them. For Marketiva, you will need to email them a scanned copy of the photo page of your International passport or driver’s license PLUS a copy of any utility bill like gas bill, electricity bill etc.
The passport/driver’s license is meant to ascertain your face and name, while the utility bill is used to confirm your address, therefore when signing up, make sure that the name you use matches what is on your passport/license and that the address you use matches what is on your utility bill.
Now that we know all this, click here to go to the sign up page and register for a Marketiva account.
Read this first:
On signing up, a bonus of $5 real money will be put in your account, plus $50,000 of practice money. With this, you can decide whether to perform trades using the practice $50,000 (demo account) or the real $5 (live account). The only difference between the two is that the live uses real money and the other uses dummy money therefore while the trades are exactly the same, only the profits (or losses) from the Live trades are real. The demo account is only meant for you to have something to practice with before venturing with real money.
When you put money into your account (called funding your account), it reflects in the Live account, similarly when you take out money, it is removed from the Live account. Money in the demo account cannot be withdrawn because it doesn’t actually exist.
It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you start off practicing with your demo account before trying to use live money.
Note also that after registration, you will be required to provide certain documentation showing proof of identity. It is advisable, therefore, to get these ready so that when you get the request for identification, you can attend to it immediately. Failure to provide these documents will cause your account to be suspended until you provide them. For Marketiva, you will need to email them a scanned copy of the photo page of your International passport or driver’s license PLUS a copy of any utility bill like gas bill, electricity bill etc.
The passport/driver’s license is meant to ascertain your face and name, while the utility bill is used to confirm your address, therefore when signing up, make sure that the name you use matches what is on your passport/license and that the address you use matches what is on your utility bill.
Now that we know all this, click here to go to the sign up page and register for a Marketiva account.
March 15, 2011
How the cost of building the DAPP can be recovered
How the cost of building the DAPP can be recovered
In putting up a case for the acceptance and approval of the DAPP, you may be faced with a situation where the PC has already been convinced of the benefits of having a DAPP but remains reluctant due to the cost of obtaining one. This is very likely to be the case for new or very small schools, but is also applicable to big schools having many students.
Should this be the case, one of the most useful properties of a DAPP comes into play: the ease with which the institution can, within a few years, recoup the money spent in building it. Better still, after recovering the capital costs, the DAPP can be further transformed into a viable and sustainable income generation tool for the school. Here is how:
- Our recommended method for funding DAPPs is for institutions to levy the students. The levy will be a very small and affordable amount and may be required as a once only payment or as a periodic payment.
If the school chooses to use the periodic model, the DAPP will also become an on-going source of revenue for it. See these examples for more explanation:
Once only levy: In a school where there are 10,000 students, charging a one-time levy ofN500 yields 10,000 x 500 =N5 million and chargingN1,000 yieldsN10 million naira (which is already the full cost of the DAPP)
Periodic levy: In a school where there are 10,000 students, charging a periodic levy ofN100 per session yieldsN1,000,000 per session. Doubling this levy i.e. requestingN200 per session yields a total ofN2, 000,000 per session. In 5 years, the cost of building the DAPP will have been recovered and from that point, it becomes a viable revenue generation tool for the institution yieldingN2, 000,000 per academic session. Alternatively, after the first general levy, only new entrants may be asked to pay this levy.
Note that these results will, of course become much higher for schools having populations greater than 10,000. For schools where the population is less than 10,000, these results can be matched and even surpassed if the levies in the two scenarios are increased to, say,N1, 500 andN500 respectively.
- Another highly recommended method is to solicit for sponsorship, support and funding from private sector organisations such as banks and telecoms companies. A DAPP is a unique new product in the Education sector of Nigeria. It is built using state-of-the-art technology and it has the potential to cause a paradigm shift in Nigerian education plus it is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
These superb qualities, coupled with the allure of the new age Information craze makes it a very attractive project for the private sector to support as part of their corporate responsibility programs. These companies would be happy to have their brand displayed as sponsors of the DAPP.
On approaching these companies, the deal could be that their logo and brand would be displayed on the DAPP website as sponsors. Now, the DAPP is going to be aggressively exposed and promoted to the whole world so this would also double as a very smart PR move for these companies.
- Mandatory subscription fees from all lecturers and students who also wish to take advantage of the service. This may be a small amount like N2,000 yearly.
- Offering a paid service to academics from other institutions who wish to take advantage of the school’s DAPP to gain international exposure: For those schools and institutions or for private researchers who do not yet own a DAPP, using an existing DAPP would be a convenient way to publish their papers.
The backend: Registration and members area (dashboard)
The backend: Registration and members area (dashboard)
Basically, a DAPP is a website where lecturers have accounts as authors on the website. Anybody that wishes to use the website must be registered with an author account. Registration is carried out by the DAPP System Administrator (SysAdmin) who would be trained for free as part of the project.
After registration, the Lecturer is able to login to the website. The SysAdmin also gives him a unique web address to his e-portfolio. This address will be of the form www.universitydapp.com/author/lecturername e.g. www.unibendapp.com/author/boseojo
Once logged in, the lecturer is taken to a member area. This area is known as the dashboard (i.e. a place from where he can monitor and manage his portfolio, just like the dashboard of a car). The dashboard contains links and buttons for managing his e-portfolio.
From the dashboard a registered lecturer can, amongst several other things:
- Compose and publish any write up: Even if he cannot complete the composition during the current login session, he can save it as a draft to be worked upon at a future date. In addition, he can set up completed write ups to be published automatically at a future date.
- View and manage their e-portfolio: The e-portfolio is a page that displays all the write-ups that have been published by a particular author/lecturer. Authors can add, edit and delete already published write ups.
- Create and manage their e-profile: The e-profile is like a short professional bio/description of the author which is appended to every write up published by him. This profile may include information such as qualifications and specialties.
- View and manage the comments that were left on their articles. Authors can edit or delete comments left by other people. This is an innovative way of controlling inappropriate language and comments. Alternatively, they can turn off commenting on individual articles.
- View the main DAPP website and make comments on other similarly published works.
Linking This State ministries with an Intranet will achieve the following:
Linking This State ministries with an Intranet will achieve the following:
- First of its kind in the Nigeria: This becomes the very first state government to implement an Intranet in the whole of Nigeria.
- Put This state in the league of world class governments in the developed economies of the world (US, UK, China, Russia etc).
- Distinguish This state as a leading state for ICT usage in Nigeria.
- Provide the operational backbone for the achievement of the State Government’s development plans by facilitating the work of the ministries and increasing their efficiency.
- Jumpstart Nigeria’s ICT revolution by setting This State as a Pioneer.
- Reduce operational costs of the ministries by up to 20%
- Increase the speed of information sharing and collaboration among ministries by more than 1000%
- Increase productivity of the ministries by up to 80%
- Increase operations efficiency by over 200%
- Streamline the activities of all the ministries
- Provide the most secure method of handling and transmitting sensitive information within the ministries while at the same time preventing access to such information by unauthorized parties.
- Drastically reduce inter-ministry communications costs.
- Improve access to information for ministry staff.
- Improve the organization and management of information among the ministries and departments.
- Substantial reduction in bureaucratic barriers within the ministries
- Provide a centralized source of information accessible to every staff/employee of the ministries.
- Provide centralized control and management of documents.
- Provide up-to-date information that is instantly available to every member of the ministries.
- Put world class technology at the disposal of ministry staff
- Synchronize activities and scheduling within the ministries
What is an Intranet?
What is an Intranet?
An intranet is a very secure and private framework for connecting computers in a corporate environment. It substantially improves internal collaboration, communication, productivity and efficiency. It also provides for the staff/employees a single, reliable access to an organization’s private information in a very secure way.
Intranets have been known to increase productivity and efficiency of organizations by up to 1000% while offering an impressive Return on Investment within a very short period. No wonder they are at the heart of every corporate organization today and have been confirmed to be responsible for the competitive relevance and success of these bodies in the information age.
Why Does This State Need an Intranet?
Intranets have long been a critical factor for the operational success of any corporate entity. From the massively spread global corporations to small scale establishments and government agencies in the developed world, the presence of an intranet has proved time and again to be the best solution to collaboration and communication between their different sections.
March 14, 2011
The publishing process
The publishing process
As soon as an author hits the “publish” button on the DAPP, many things happen instantaneously behind the scenes, all transparent to the author.
In chronological order:
- The article is saved to the DAPP archive, appears on the DAPP homepage and becomes available for immediate download and review.
- The article is emailed to all subscribers of the DAPP
- The article is submitted to Google Scholar from where it becomes available to over 100 million users and scholars actively searching for information from around the world every day
- The article is submitted and listed on digg.com, technorati.com, stumbleupon.com, reddit.com and del.icio.us. These are the top 5 aggregators and trackers of web content today and provide the article with a combined potential readership of 700 million people from around the world who use these websites daily.
- The article is optimized for search and then submitted to the world’s top 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo and Windows Live Search). Using ground breaking accelerated submission technology, the article is made available to some 500 million searchers within 30 minutes, an unprecedented feat in the world of the web (note that without our accelerated techniques, the article could take anything from 48 hours to a week before it begins to show up in web searches).
- The article is converted into a web distribution format through another groundbreaking process and syndicated to other universities and institutions across the web.
- The article is submitted to the Internet archives under the category which it belongs.
- The article is submitted to specialized e-libraries, category archives and academic directories.
Note that the aggregate effect of all these actions is that this one article is made available to a combined audience of some one billion people around the world every day!!! Compare this to the 70, 000 (monthly or quarterly) median distribution for Nigerian/African print based educational journals and you can begin to appreciate what the DAPP can really do for any academic institution and the stupendous potentials it brings.
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