There were two questions - the first:- 1) how to appeal to Parents of prospective tutees and how to appeal to Mature Students - and thirdly how to appeal to Young Adults as Students. These being the three types of individual who are most likely to be seriously looking for a Private Tutor.
The Second Question:- 2) How to have an online presence that had some kind of continuity and yet was diverse because of the nature of Registering with Online Agencies and if it would be worthwhile investing time in creating a personal website with a dot.com at this stage. From the options available would this website address the necessary issues without causing further problems.
First and Foremost is the necessity to bring in an income and to this end the Online Agency Profiles must take precedence.
To make the most of the profile should we address just the Student or the Parent?
To sell to anyone, its is wise to obtain a positive empathy in terms of discussion or scenario so that the Individual considering if it is wise to buy your product is continually agreeing to the information you portray. Obviously purchasing items is a different matter.
For any Adult looking for Tuition for either themselves or a Young Adult or Teenager in their care - the prime concern is often that the Academic World does not understand their 'Real World' the World of Work or path to success. The world they are occupying as they read the information in the profile.
The reason for requiring Tuition is a fear of failure and a fear that the lack of a one to one learning situation can leave serious gaps in the knowledge the person needs to acquire.
Taking on a commitment to the long process towards Academic Qualification and Achievement is similar to taking on a large project in the work place.
For Parents who have entered the workplace without qualifications with the expectation of progressing through the work hierarchy (as usual in the East Midlands for at least a Generation around the 1960s) or through an Apprenticeship - there are similarities with Product Life-Cycles and long Term Projects.
It was a logical step to see if any of the buzz words or jargon in the Project Management world might apply to the quest for Tuition. So as the Internet is full of useful information it was a click of a button to find something that might resonate. This opened up a whole world of 'Old Experience and Competences' that had almost been forgotten by the author of the web-blog despite those skills being evident and continually used.
Going back to basics can be useful.
So with two questions in mind - one how to appeal to the prospective purchaser of Tuition and the type and format of the online presence - be it web-blog, profile or small company website this process too place ....
An idea that the goals of Project Management might be useful - and finding the Association of Project Management and the Wiki on the same subject...
being aware that the whole small business not only needed a Business Plan but that it needed Project Management too and we are in that process .... of concept, initiation and analysis ....
https://www.apm.org.uk/WhatIsPM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management
Its almost cruel to think that parents (not so much Employers) feel that there is an element of traditional project Management in the acquisition of a Qualification - and that the most likely Project Management tool they have come across is on the following link - but it really is the case.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_model
conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, production/implementation and maintenance
The disparity between the practical concepts in this method of Project Management and the Academic process are glaringly obvious - for Students wishing to take up Practical Careers the Academic realm is full of pitfalls and seemingly cosy get-out clauses particularly as far as balancing social life and academic study.
Could any information, buzz words help in the First Tutors profile ... would any prospective buyer of Private Tuition will be thinking of the reason in terms of the Qualification being studied being a kind of Project.
How do we ensure our next generation can succeed?
Psychologically if we break it all down the fear is:-
Time to Learn the subject and Pass the Examination with Good Grades. (and the back of the tee-shirt reads - and have a good time while we are studying ...)
and so:- RECALLING that the most precious skill is how to manage time and this is primarily what the Student (of any age) is struggling with -and as older individual knowing the most important skill in the quest for a successful life can be the skill of how to Manage your Time ... and it involves being able to
PRIORITISE (spelt with a z in US English - pah!) this with the other elements of managing time and a The Key Essential of any Project - is PLANNING of course....
PRIORITISING as a Skill always has its importance and yet is under-rated - and mis-understood.
We now have two issues to resolve - what to include in the profile for the online agencies and a decision to make regarding creating a website advertising the Sole Trader Tuition Business (and possibly other small business strands).
and are we including in the profile information to appeal to the Technician-Engineering type Parent or the Bureaucrat, White Collar parent?
It is apparent from this small process of research and lateral thinking that the people most likely to want tuition can a) afford it or b) be concerned that without it even if the payment is an issue, they may not pass.
It was useful to recall the issues around managing projects, to remember the issues around Planning and Prioritising and to be aware that the Tutor is being employed in some ways as a Role Model and Individual who is an Expert to make the learning process easier. The 'sales blurb' or the Profile cannot encompass all of this in a few words. The EXPERT has to have the qualifications themselves but the ROLE MODEL has to be able to empathise with the individual and potentially the family and the TEACHER has to NOT necessarily be truly Academic but a MENTOR as the memories of teachers can have negative connotations.
The Role Model must know the nuts and bolts of the PROCESS in the same way as a teacher but be prepared to work on a one to one basis similar to a WORK PLACE TRAINER or even FACILITATOR.
So now we have some of the words and a recall of work place processes ... and can move on ....
re-orienting (definition "to adjust or align (something) in a new or different way") was worthwhile.
Now to the website - and what focus should it have if at all?
Regarding Question 2 (A project in itself)
conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, production/implementation and maintenance
Should a new website be created from scratch using Software purchased to make it and how long would it take for the new Sole Trader Business
Should the website include all the diverse strands of the Sole Trader business
Should the website be capable of advertising and using Affiliate Marketing - or would that deter prospective purchasers in the Academic scene. Would it detract Students.
Who will the website attract - will it generate any interest or sales and will it be lost in the huge space of the internet. How will people find it - how can it be visible on a google search?
As the Sole Trader business was operating 2007-2012 and had similar questions and a sub domain large company website was made which caused lots of problems and was lost in a large company sub-domain website - should it (the website) revert to the previous incarnation of the previous small micro biz format?
Should a new online presence be essentially practical and not necessarily a work of art?
Then how can it be possible to input all the information quickly and be seen online and around and about in the shortest space of time? How can this link to Online Agency profiles.
It became obvious it might be wise to check - and the two questions had to go on hold as the PRIORITY of checking what might be phished was necessary before creating the final version for the Online Agency Profiles.
At this point the necessity of creating the new information went on hold as the enormity of what had been input to the internet from 2007-2012 became apparent - some unethical websites collect information and display it without the permission of the individual who owns the information - company name, address, contact etc. This information can be collected from Profiles or from information sold by the Online websites where profiles are made - for business reasons.
So we now have a third Question - phisihing- what is sensible to add to a profile and what is not and do the Online Agencies have a system to avoid this phishing where a personal company website might not have that kind of protection.
The PRIOTITIES changed.
Question 3 - Phishing private information became priority A - as it needs sorting first
Question 1 - Might be resolved if the Online Agencies have more protection becomes Priority B
Question 2 - Can only be completed after 3 and 1 and becomes Priority C.
We have now left the world of the truly Academic who can reason and analyse and evaluate but does not have to contend with their results being practical, cost effective and workable in the ;real world' their realm moves at best into a testing phase whereas the real world requires real solutions.
The understanding of this element of information is THE ESSENTIAL KEY to why individuals want PRIVATE TUITION in the first place.
The student is not merely going to be TESTED examination wise or practically - but wants to enter the COMPETITIVE WORLD OF WORK at some point.
In the East Midlands of the UK very few students are merely studying for their personal gratification, these people want to USE the knowledge they assimilate and are in a Competitive Market to do so.
The Diary continues -
Aims, Objectives, Sales Techniques, Online Info, Profiles that are Eclectic and take the best from all types of people (the internet being classless etc) Project Management. Practical Design and implementation and Maintenance.
- The Objective is to be successful selling Tuition online. The Aim is not to encounter obstacles that will take time away from that goal.
There are three questions to answer and these have Priorities, each can be researched in its own time - but the answers to each question have to be placed in a Priority queue.
If the small business was a Partnership - two people could research this information and it would take the same amount of hours of work - but be completed faster. The wages or Salary needed would be the same but a Partnership could come up with the answers theoretically in half the time and take the 'Window of Opportunity' to sell, if there was one.
This is going to be a long day ...
Phising Data from profiles and the Results - Research this information online
This only becomes PRIORITY A when we are returning to add information to the internet.
Checking if there is a presence on a Google or Yahoo search for this nanognat Sole Trader Co - and finding it is one of the FIRST in FIRST Tutors which is cool and also on
SCOOT
emailing the contact on cache on SCOOT - and the link arrives in the inbox.
Deciding if to add a link again to SCOOT as the original HAS BEEN REMOVED SUPPOSEDLY - but is still there (well it did start off as 192 so maybe is via YELL - another story)
Checking SCOOT on WHOIS - and finding a really big start up curve, drop-off situation and WOw those folks must have suffered. Its now part of wow.com and is American. Linked with the Independent and Sun Newspapers and TOUCH LOCAL - now that link arrived from BEANBAG LEARNING.COM which changed into TUTOR HUB (the link arrived automatically - that's a small worry but now we assume that the companies may have been subsidiaries etc - SCOOT.Co
The moral of this short detour being - the listings (SEO?) how to keep the good ones - but get them to remove home address info etc ....
This impacts on selling to people online as they do not want to see ineffective and incorrect information and it is necessary for the Security of the individual creating the online presence.
This impacts on Question 1 as Personal Information should not be included on the Profile unless it can be protected.
This impacts on Question 2 as the Online Agencies - if they have a Privacy Policy can separate the personal information and protect it, whilst allowing the remaining information to be public.
This impacts on Question 2 - as it becomes apparent that the Online Agencies are more suitable for the reasons of Phishing data on the internet.
It is now resolved that the Online Agencies are preferable to a small company website as the small company does not have the security or employee capability to run with lots of pages on a website, some pages being private and some public - it is obvious that an email for details would be a much more practical solution.
Just one website presence may not be enough.
SEO - Search Engine Optimisation cannot substitute for a team of professionals with a budget to ensure a website goes to the top of the rankings continually.
It is not necessary to explain this to prospective parents for Tuition - but may be necessary to have as part of a portfolio for Freelance work - which is another area of consideration not included here.
How these two questions - important for the small tuition business are now looking answer-wise
The Online profile should include some kind of 'hook' equivalent to make people who want tuition to return to the profile. This could be some indication of an understanding of how important success is and whether as a Tutor it can be delivered - the key to this is in part the profile but more likely to be reviews.
Personal information must stay in a separate area of the online profile. Links to linkedin for example may not be a good idea.
Addressing the concept of learning further information for the person reading the profile might be a successful tactic, therefore address the Mature Student, workplace learning issues.
The website idea is cool - it needs to be there purely because people looking expect one and to counter any inputs from the phishing spambots should they find info to generate.
The website idea is cool but will need hosting - costs
Alternatives for the website:-
There is a danger of using a preparatory online website and not buying the dot.com (is it a justifiable cost at this stage) and ending up in the vagaries of the swampy directory of the preparatory
website building dot.com - as a sub directory entry
Will the preparatory website then start charging - usually after x number of pages and then we could be moving to pay per click
How long will it take to create a suitable and arty website to make individuals think 'wow'. Will this kind of website address the information - is it possible to address the information that needs to go out into the online realm in a way that is coherent with four strands to a small freelancing business whether it is Tuition, Freelance, Virtual Assistant or Direct sales online screen. What format can that kind of business look successful in?
In 2005 if we check up on the well known websites we all know and 'love' now - how did they look.
This link is cited - the homelink follows:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/6125914/How-20-popular-websites-looked-when-they-launched.html
The Telegraph Newspaper, 2nd September 2009 - Technology
Homepage link:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Should we make a SWOT to cover all eventualities - keep personal address info from the profile if its going to be bot.crawled and info lifted onto other sites - some can't be found or contacted ...
(Maybe that's why there are preparatory website building sites - to gather info and not allow the main directory listing onto google etc etc)
Analysis
MAKE A CHEAPO BLOG!
Wordpress isn't cool for advertising
Blogger is.
It's just what it says it is... It can be found ... sometimes a link can be added to profiles.
and meanwhile keep
LINKEDIN updated and check out the groups for further processing.
kk
SORTED - one all the practical work is done.
________________________________________________________________________________
Only read the remainder of this page if you are interested in how the internet input went through the day (it is a diary after all)
In conjunction with all of this info processing - Today went something like this ...
The First Tutors Profile
Requests for Tuition
Updating the Profile to bring new insights into the main info screen ...
Checking the Virtual Assistant Freelance - Upwork
finding the info is in dollars and cant be changed - and they may screen pic data currently being worked on (what kind of system-law allows that one?) are they after phishing info and bank details?
Searching round the Upwork site for Nottingham UK - who's on there - and finding a link to a Company who are also advertising on the Nottingham City Confetti site for Apprentices (Upwork was found via a link via E4S - a while ago and its not simple to comply with their info as they want INDIVIDUALS signing up - and its mainly the USA which can spell Protectionism in some ways).
Worried about the potential pitfalls - need a SWOT - maybe there's a simple profile-proforma to save making one - REMEMBERING Project Management Skills ...
Thinking this is all a Project that needs some finesse now the skelleton is made
Finding the Association of Project Management
Checking their costs - also their Linkedin and Education sites
Finding a cool qualification for Project Management Certification (and new ones in the pipeline)
Going to wiki as its free.
Turing off the computer as it seemed the screen mouse was being ghosted - turned off the wifi and started again ... some sites have surveillance (E4S? - Implications?)
REALISING that the Microsoft Business Licence isn't on the PC being used - and so should switch the licences or PCs or work with MICROSOFT OUTLOOK programmes ....? Invoices will be sent etc etc.
Thinking Project Managing - thinking Planning - thinking Prioritising
and linking .... new strands ...
QAA-Project Management
QAA-Procesing
QAA-Local
QAA-Careers
QAA-Social Media most importantly LINKEDIN
(adding all the info websites found to the relevant social media - Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter etc)
Meanwhile - some 5 new Twitter followers are winging their way into the mobile phone (potential courses and course members in the future? Potential Students? Potential Freelance Work?)
Anyone else remember TIME MANAGEMENT and the dangers of FLAPSI HAPSI?
http://shop.timemanager.com/shop/uk/cms-7.html
homepage link
http://shop.timemanager.com/shop/uk/frontpage.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_management
and the lovely FILOFAX (cool - check out Affiliates etc)
http://www.filofax.co.uk/
There's a lovely fresh air breeze rolling across my pc at this point .... its such old-hat and second nature ...
http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/6hats.htm
Now to add those social media lateral thinking links and the new sites found along the way...
Yesterday was simple - it was just ACCOUNTS! (Now where's that book-keeping course info ... and round we go again)
EVALUATION - how to?
Pearltrees - add info to pearltrees maybe as bookmarks in a new pearl and roll around them once in a while to check on the new sites, updates - or sign up to email updates (may need registration) Even the Linkedin accounts can be added. Sadly they aren't Pearls anymore and can't be moved easily -
Some sites change over time.
The True Evaluation is - what has been achieved, what is improved - what value will it bring - what problems may occur - Decision Trees input maybe
http://www.mindtools.com/dectree.html
Homepage
http://www.mindtools.com/
Wiki (Wiki isn't always accurate ...)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree
Its ok to flip around the place a tad when on the internet - just keep an eye of internet data time.
EVALUATION -objective - Setting any system up is complicated and needs careful assessment - if in doubt start simple and keep all info to refocus on each stage ... plan the re-assessment, prioritise the areas -
WEBSITE CREATION - collect all the information first, this may take months, there is nothing worse than a Website that evolves without a plan for the reader. Take into consideration all the lateral inputs (within reason). Check where an online presence can be created.
Either Plan the Sole Trader Business over a long period of time - and create the online presence before starting up or start simple and build from there....
Even commissioning a website builder will require all the information planned in advance.
Blogs are just SOOO Cool!!
and a personal input the internet is- ITS ORGANIC
Here we need a plant animation with leaves growing etc etc.
There's a tree outside that's around 15 to 20 feet (whats that in meters?) and it seeded itself as the old QAAWyrd 2012 had to go on hold for a while.
Some things have evolved online - some things disappeared - but surely has the address been on the internet all this time - there's a real need to check links CONSTANTLY (Planned, Prioritised etc)
oh - and as a home person - the Washing got Washed, the lunch was made, cups of tea.
NOW FOR DIRECT SALES and facing the COLD CALLING ...
So much whooshed around and magic manifested in the days since 18th Aug (when the 7Gb data became available).
Just please - one of the prospective tutees make a proper booking ....it is possible to focus on a single subject and tutor for a couple of hours with astoundingly awesome resources.
Upwork - decision on whether to continue if the profile is in dollars can cant be GBP (£).
Remember that Administrators are not Academics and as such this angle could be a selling point.
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