Content – Tech Warrior

International Literacy Day

Tech Warrior — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 11:45:00 +0000

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.
—B.B. King

IInternational Literacy Day marks the importance of communication. You are a formidable force when you have mastered the ability to communicate - be it in writing, speech and even thought.

According to the United Nations, more than 717 million people around the world, both children and adults, have a severe lack of literacy skills. This is both alarming, but also eye opening.

Imagine you're not able to understand a written instruction for your work, or to cook something as simple as spaghetti? Granted, through learned experience and over a period of time, one can learn how to make pasta al dente, but it doesn't change the fact that you can't order off a menu, understand which offramp to take, potentially how much something costs - the list seemingly just grows and grows.

Here in South Africa we have LITASA (The Literacy Association of South Africa), a volunteer-run member body with the primary purpose of promoting literacy. Through research, sharing of best practice and community collaboration, they aim to grow a strong literacy community.

Where possible, what can you do to make an impact and help nurture and guide future readers, thinkers and speakers to a world relieved of illiteracy - share them with us!

The post International Literacy Day appeared first on Tech Warrior.

No growth without change

Tech Warrior — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 12:25:08 +0000

Many a false step was made by standing still.
—Tim Ferriss

Following on from my previous article — another lesson which I've had trouble with is time management; be it related to a project or a daily task. Maybe I'll update my slogan to:

Adapt. Be open. Be clear. Be timeous.

It's not something that changes overnight. Developing good, healthy habits and setting yourself daily targets or goals is a good place to start though. I am fond of taking a process in my personal and professional life and optimising it, ultimately reducing the amount of time it takes to get it done.

In my personal life, I've grappled with sleep. I don't tend to get enough of it, either because I'm watching online lectures, or trying to watch every TEDed video available... However; in the last month I decided to pick up mountain biking again, and you need A LOT of sleep in the build up to and recover from the treks.

I have my first competition at the end of April. I have no doubt it will be a slog, but it has given me a short term goal to chip away at on a regular basis - in more ways than I can mention here - it has made me become more cognizant of how I use my time specifically around my training regime, when I train and how much time I spend training.

Professionally, over the last few weeks I have set myself the goal of generating eye catching graphic designs on a weekly basis. I have tried to create a minimum of 5 new designs per week; sometimes I manage, sometimes I don't - but what I am doing is honing my craft on a continual basis - optimising it through consistency. I'm no digital Monet or Picasso yet, but I know I'll be there by the end of the year.

Time management skills are something which can be developed. I've found that using 'Carrots and Sticks' motivates me best. Setting goals which are achievable, but still push me, harbour better results. The Pomodoro Technique has helped with my workflow during the day, helping again optimise my time management.

Lastly, the 5 minute journal has been a blessing. Essentially I set aside 5 minutes in the mornings and choose three things I’m thankful for; three things I would like to have happen during the day and a daily affirmation for myself. In the evenings I again set aside another 5 minutes and take stock of what made the day great overall and then I choose three things that I could have done to make the day more productive, more insightful or better in any way. Through 10 minutes of introspection, I am incrementally improving my daily habits and it pays great dividends.

As the header image indicates - there is no growth without change.

As we’re moving into autumn I believe it's the season for change!

Cheers

What do you think of the following Tech Warrior logo?

Should we have started using it 5 minutes ago or should we stick with our trusty shield?

Whichever you think is best, drop us an email share your thoughts with us!

The post No growth without change appeared first on Tech Warrior.

A thrifty passion for bric-a-brac

Tech Warrior — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 16:10:16 +0000

Thrift, as defined by the Merriam-Webster english dictionary, is the careful management, especially of money. Thrifting then, is the action of spending a set amount of money to maximise the total amount of goods one will receive, similarly to someone who is frugal.

Thrifting is often associated to shopping, either for antiques, gently used clothing items, books and the like. The list goes on. It's the idea of reduce, recycle, repurpose that comes to mind and this is what Zoe at Still Life has a great enthusiasm, skill and passion for.

Nestled in and amongst other arty-crafty restaurants and shops in the Linden suburbs, Zoe has established for herself an attractive shop filled with all manner of wonderful bric-a-brac. If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for either for yourself, a loved one or a work colleague there's a 110% chance Zoe can assist.

When Tech Warrior set out on this particular website journey the overriding desire was to create something that reflected the space Zoe had created. A vibrant, fresh and quirky shop which is open to all, and appreciated by many.

Bottling Zoe's creativity and mixing it with Tech Warrior's understanding has resulted in a website that is both energizing and practical. Thank you, Zoe, for choosing Tech Warrior to develop a website that is as charming as your store!

Read Zoe's feedback below:

1 - What made you choose to work with Tech Warrior?

Matthew and Tristan had previously designed and printed my business cards and they were delightful, so using Tech Warrior was an easy decision

2 - If you had any hesitation about using Tech Warrior, what was it?

The only hesitation was, possibly the price involved as I was on a tight budget

3 - What were the three things you liked most about working with Tech Warrior?

The professional approach to the brief and asking good, solid, questions

Showing me the different layouts for the website and in so doing it made the visual aspect easier for me to plan my story

Keeping me updated on the progress made and setting a date and time for work entailed

Regards

Zoe Leesam

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Finding certainty in uncertain times

Tech Warrior — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 15:26:49 +0000

The world of money, be it digital or physical, is a nebulous, living 'thing'. Like energy it moves around, it bounces between people and organisations. It can move from one country, state or province to another. It never sleeps. Much like opportunities which are waiting to be capitalised on.

When Tech Warrior first started this project, there was some learning that needed to be done. What is an arbitrage trade? How can you make an income out of it and more importantly how were we going to develop a website to help explain what this is all about.

Tech Warrior and the South African Bitcoin Arbitrage (SABCA) team first spent some time bouncing ideas off one another, learning more about what each organisation has achieved and hopes to achieve all the while focussing on the end goal - create a website that demystifies, enables and empowers its visitors around all things arbitrage related.

Thank you to the SABCA team for their continued engagement to create something marvelous, functional and educational.

Read the feedback from SABCA's founder, Chris Broekman, below:

Blockchain is the tech. Bitcoin is merely the first mainstream manifestation of its potential.
—Marc Kenigsberg

1 - What made you choose to work with Tech Warrior?

I saw that you had built a website for Roman Cabanac's the Morning shot podcast.

2 - If you had any hesitation about using Tech Warrior, what was it?

Whether you had the technical ability to integrate my Json endpoint to the site.

3 - What were the three things you liked most about working with Tech Warrior?

Good communication

Affordable for a new and unproven business that is being "bootstrapped"

Talented developers.

4 - Is there anything that Tech Warrior could do better?

For my site I really want it to sell my mailing list so that I can get a bigger audience. I feel like a bigger list of options for integrating MailChimp campaigns would be a big selling point. e.g. Pop ups when clients visit the site to sign up with the mailing list.

Thanks and regards.
Chris Broekman

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Pockets of excellence

Tech Warrior — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 16:52:58 +0000

To write or not to write, that is the question...

When one recalls similarly famous lines you are transported either into a high school English classroom or a theatre; I much prefer the latter!

On the western edge of Johannesburg, in Ferreiras Dorp, is an organisation lending support to aspiring South African artists. Offering these talented artisans a platform to share their thoughts and passions to an audience as well as other accordant maestros.

The Tin Town Theatre venue and surrounds hold both historical and cultural significance. It was founded by Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) CEO, Marcus Desando and is currently run by the talented Tshepo Ratona with the aid of Phumeza Damane. The space offers both up and coming as well as established artists an opportunity to stage performances, learn and encourage collaborations.

Working with Tshepo on this website was fantastic. The shared insights taken from our respective professions allowed the melding of theatrical artistic vision and expression with the progressive drawing board of web development. Thank you, Tshepo, for choosing Tech Warrior to develop Tin Town's website.

Read on below to see Tshepo's feedback:

Thank you so very much for your talents and effort. We at The Tin Town Theatre NPC, truly appreciate.
—Tshepo Ratona
Producer
Tin Town Theatre

1 - What made you choose to work with Tech Warrior?

The moment I saw the Website from Johannesburg Opera, I knew I wanted to meet and have a great relationship with the company that designed it. Its beautiful, creative and well thought out, that is what made me want to work with Tech Warrior.

2 - If you had any hesitation about using Tech Warrior, what was it?

I had absolutely no hesitations, I made up my mind when I first saw your work.

3 - What were the three things you liked most about working with Tech Warrior?

The kind service, the openness and the effort to truly understand what the client needed and how you could possibly help them.

The turn around times and the constant communication to ensure that we remain in the same page.

The list of options that were basically the best and I had a heart time choosing what the project should look like in the end because all options were carefully created with an effort.

4 - Is there anything that Tech Warrior could do better?

I got the best services I wouldn’t know what could possibly change.

The post Pockets of excellence appeared first on Tech Warrior.

Moving, feeling and learning

Tech Warrior — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:36:11 +0000

Some, if not most people find it difficult to display emotion and express how they feel or bring to light undealt issues of the past. I'm sometimes a culprit of this. Drama and play therapy brings theatre processes into a space which encourages either groups or individuals to express and work through emotions and 'stuck' issues.

Welma de Beer has over thirty years worth of experience in working with children, adolescents and adults; be it as a drama therapist, lecturer, teacher or a drama practitioner. As a practice, drama therapy is found in many 'mainstream' institutions such as voluntary oragnisations and NPOs, mainstream and special needs schools, National Health Service institutions and private hospitals.

Working on this project with Welma was loads of fun from collaborating on the colour scheme to late night phone calls trying to decide where content should go or if there was enough content all together!

Thank you, Welma, for allowing Tech Warrior to play a role within your pocket of excellence. To learn more about what Welma has to offer head on over to her website!

"Play is a child's natural medium for self-expression."
—Virginia Axline

1 - What made you choose to work with Tech Warrior?

I decided to use Tech warrior because I knew the people to be kind, caring, truthful, honest and their work to be detailed and beautiful

2 - If you had any hesitation about using Tech Warrior, what was it?

I have no hesitations

3 - What were the three things you liked most about working with Tech Warrior?

The three things that I most liked were their: dedication even though I was difficult; their gentle approach; and their sense of aesthetics

4 - Is there anything that Tech Warrior could do better?

No, not in my book

Welma de Beer

The post Moving, feeling and learning appeared first on Tech Warrior.

Measuring the immeasurable

Tech Warrior — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:31:14 +0000

Architecture, like painting or sculpture, is an art form. The swell of emotions one experiences as they walk into a sunlit room or how the complexity of a historic building captures your intrigue and you can't help but wonder, "How did they manage that?".

Melville based firm, Nicholas-Whitcutt Architects, strives to instil such emotion in all of their designs while also managing to keep functionality and sustainability at the forefront of their work ethos.

With the above in mind Tech Warrior worked closely with one of the firm’s lead architects. Both architect and web developer fused their respective knowledge to produce an end product that speaks to the firm’s values.

From Tech Warrior’s perspective, working on this website was amazing from the word go. The engagement from the clients, the willingness to learn something foreign, for both developers and architects alike, resulted in a beautiful website.

Thank you to both Nicholas and Michaela for their enthusiasm throughout the process; and thank you for allowing Tech Warrior to become part of your firm's growth.

Read Nicholas' and Michaela's feedback below:

From being a jaded recipient of services offered by others, I rediscovered an enthusiasm for what we do by looking at it from the outside with
Tech Warrior through the website process. Thank you!

—Nicholas Whitcutt
Nicholas Whitcutt Architects

1 - What made you choose to work with Tech Warrior?

Micha, whilst exploring the NLP, spoke of your website as being one that appealed because it was strikingly more about what she was looking for than all about the people that hosted the site. So when it turned out that you had done this, and did websites too, it made perfect sense for us to work with you.

2 - If you had any hesitation about using Tech Warrior, what was it?

My only hesitation had nothing to do with Tech Warrier, only the thought of going down the website road again. We had spent an eternity developing our own website, and when it was finally ready it did nothing in terms of bringing work in. So we moved to someone else who immediately took it down while they transferred it onto a new platform, and the same work started again and went nowhere for a long time. I became angry and frustrated at the thought of starting again.

3 - What were the three things you liked most about working with Tech Warrior?

The philosophy that it is not about us, but the people who are looking for us; the detailed briefing process and prompts/questions to follow (i.e. guidance) and the creative enthusiasm around evolving an identity that not only reflected what we understood but also brought something over and above.

4 - Is there anything that Tech Warrior could do better?

NO!

Nicholas Whitcutt

For someone like myself who had tackled my own websites in the past and a bit of designer background I always believed we didn't need anyone to design a website for us.

I'm amazed at how wrong I was! What we had done before compared to what Tech Warrior can do is like chalk and cheese. In this case I even enjoy being humbled because we got a super website from the Tech Warrior team!

—Michaela Rothaug
Nicholas Whitcutt Architects

1 - What made you choose to work with Tech Warrior?

I have seen your 5th Place website and really loved it! It;s so well structured and looks so professional. It also seems that there is not a word too much on it, it's well balanced.

2 - If you had any hesitation about using Tech Warrior, what was it?

It looked expensive, I doubted we can do it (well, you had obviously suggested a barter, but apart from that I would have worried about affordability)

3 - What were the three things you liked most about working with Tech Warrior?

Great guidance (from first meeting to the pages you send out to fill in, to gentle reminders to send stuff, haha), great quality of the resulting website (it looks so professional!), good insights of how to best begin ("look through the eyes of your client when you write stuff" etc.

4 - Is there anything that Tech Warrior could do better?

I have no idea what you could do better. It was pretty good, no? In our case maybe go back to initial though of more and bigger pictures at the beginning, but that's quite specific. Generally I see nothing you guys could do better.

Michaela Rothaug

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How can I create a website for my business free of cost?

Judson Dawtrey — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

Is it possible to have a free website?

Getting a website developed for your business is easier now than ever before. If you have access to a computer, there are a vast number of ways to have a website designed and developed for your business. Some ways are easier than others, however. In most cases taking shortcuts can lead to unnecessary problems or underwhelming results.

If you would like to have a website built free of cost, there are a few online platforms and software you can use, such as WordPress, Squarespace or Wix. These assist you in designing websites with easy to use templates and themes and other services.

Purchasing domain names carefully is a very important aspect of owning a website. Having a website is an important part of running a business. Make sure you are the rightful registered owner of your domain name.

A free website is not all sunshine and rainbows

The ability to design and build your own website has been made a much easier process with the use of the above-mentioned do-it-yourself platforms and software. Doing it yourself can lead to issues that hinder the quality of the final product. This is because many people are unaware of what actually makes a good website and what makes a bad website.

Many people believe that a website is to showcase them and/or their business, and in part this is true. The primary audience of your website, however, are your customers. You don’t have a website for you to visit and get information about your business, that’s what your customers do. You need a website so that your customers have a place for them to visit and gather information about your business without having to leave their homes or phones. Websites are there to help you market your business, build trust and for visitors to make a more informed choice about how you can solve their particular problem.

Issues that could arise when building a free website

When building a free website, you might, as a result of the platform you use, have to host adverts on it. This can cloud your website with unnecessary information. First impressions, which are so important, might be impacted by potentially irrelevant advertising “noise”. To add insult to injury these intrusive adverts could slow down the loading of your website. Why would you allow advertising on your website? Well you may be under the impression that you will earn revenue from them but this is usually not the case. Any revenue from the adverts goes to the platform provider and you don’t get any financial benefit from the clicks on the advert.

Your domain name could also be affected as you will most likely have to include the name of the platform you are using i.e. cheapcars.wordpress.com. This can make your website and business seem very unprofessional. Free websites also have bandwidth restrictions and this could impact the potential growth of your website.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.
—Colin Powell

Why choose a professional over something free

When designing your own website, the content you use is of major importance. This is what your customers will be reading or watching to get an idea of what the business does and what problems it solves. Not knowing how to structure your content can lead to a cluttered, ugly website which can drive customers away.

Do you know how to design a website that is mobile friendly? And not just mobile friendly but designed so that it looks good on a mobile device? This is a must in this day and age where 60 percent of your website’s visitors will be arriving on a mobile device.

This is where having someone else whose business is websites will come in handy. They can assist you with putting you content together for your website in a way that works based on best practices. Some web design companies will put the content together for you. Others may not do the content, but will help guide you through the process. And of course they will ensure that what looks good on screen, looks good on a mobile device too.

At Tech Warrior we believe that you should compile the content for your website as you know your business better than anyone else. We do, however, guide you with a set of detailed questions to ensure the correct content is gathered and collated.

Be aware of shortcuts

It is quite a simple process to build your own free website for your business as the tools are easily available. However, you get what you don’t pay for. As previously mentioned, shortcuts can lead to unnecessary problems that could arise in future if you decided to go that route.

But if you must, go for it!

If you can, we highly recommend you choose a trusted web company that can help you build a quality website to help your business succeed.

Further reading

How important is it to have a website for my business?

How long does it take to build a website?

Who are Tech Warrior’s competitors?

Visit our learning hub for more articles

The post How can I create a website for my business free of cost? appeared first on Tech Warrior.

What is the difference between a website and a blog?

Matthew Green — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 13:27:26 +0000

I have often been called pedantic. This means that sometimes I can be overly concerned with the accuracy or precision of something. In this case, however, I think it’s okay to be a little pedantic because technically a blog is a website.

What is a website?

A British computer scientist, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, invented the World Wide Web or Web for short in 1989. His vision was for an easy way to share information stored on networked computers in different geographic locations. Kind of like an interconnected web of information. As it turns out, any time you have a collection of one or more web pages that are hosted under the same domain, you have a website.

Purchasing domain names carefully is a very important aspect of owning a website. Having a website is an important part of running a business. Make sure you are the rightful registered owner of your domain name.

This doesn’t really say what a website can do but it does explain what it is. Websites can be developed for businesses, organisations, governments and individuals. They can be maintained and looked after by one person or a team of people, depending on the size and function of the website.

Websites can be small in size, i.e. have a limited number of pages or massive in scale like Google or Wikipedia. Usually the information on a website's pages are relatively static, meaning it doesn’t change all that often. On the other hand, social media sites like Facebook or Twitter are also websites and these change all the time!

What is a blog?

A blog is a website with regularly updated information. Much like a diary or journal. It’s usually written or published by an individual rather than a company or news organisation. This is not to say that a company won’t have a blog, rather a person or author at the company will be the responsible person for the contents of the blog.

The term blog is a portmanteau which happens when you combine two words to form a new one, in this case web + log = blog. The act of writing and publishing is called blogging. Unlike the more static pages on a website, blog pages are referred to as articles or posts and are published regularly. This can vary from multiple times a day to a few times a week or month. There is no rule, it depends on the author of the blog and the kind of information being presented. Tech Warrior’s learning hub (for information on building a website) is a blog and publishes posts a few times per week.

The Web does not just connect machines, it connects people.
—Tim Berners-Lee

Blog comments

Another key difference between a website and a blog is community engagement. The author of a blog will often open the opportunity for discussion on what has been published. This discussion takes the form of a comment system situated below the main article or post.

In recent times, however, this has been abused by both people and automated scripts or bots. In the former, people can take the conversation off-topic which means irrelevant things are discussed, outside the focus of the original blog post. Additionally commenters can sometimes be vitriolic to other comment posters, focussing on the person and not what was said in a disrespectful or spiteful manner. In the latter, the scripts or bots endeavour to post comments, also unrelated, containing spam links to other dubious websites. This is done in an effort to try and con Google and other search engines into giving them a higher rank on the search results pages. This kind of behavior has resulted in many blogs limiting comments or putting safeguards in place.

A well-rounded website will contain both web pages and posts. In other words it will be both a website and a blog. Web pages are useful for static information that doesn’t change all that much or often. Publishing a blog can keep customers and visitors up to date with the latest news and happenings. It can also build deeper engagement and trust through the comment system, provided this is managed properly.

Further reading

What is website hosting?

The thought of putting the content together really scares me

What is a domain and do I need one?

Visit our learning hub for more articles

The post What is the difference between a website and a blog? appeared first on Tech Warrior.

What is a WordPress theme?

Tristan Green — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 00:30:00 +0000

What is WordPress?

Firstly let’s clear up any confusion about what WordPress is. Simply put, WordPress allows anyone, individuals and organisations, to build websites and blogs. In more technical terms, WordPress is a free content management system (CMS) that is open to the public. It utilises features such as plugins and themes. It is also the most widely used tool for building websites in the world.

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
—Henry Ford

How does a WordPress theme work?

The term ‘theme’ is used as an umbrella concept that includes things like page layout templates and stylesheets for colours and headings. A host of profession-specific themes such as a photography theme for wedding photographers or a restaurant theme for a pizza joint or coffee shop are available. General use themes which can be implemented for a variety of websites are also available. These themes can be further adjusted and tweaked through the use of plugins.

A template in WordPress forms a foundation or skeleton for content to be added to, modified and removed. Content can include images, text and videos.

Stylesheets in web development dictate how and where content is displayed. I always remember this as a rulebook which tells your browser, Google Chrome, Opera, FireFox or Microsoft Edge, how the content of a website needs to be displayed. It is the instruction for the browser that the font on a website is a specific size, an image is displayed at that particular place, etc. This is arguably one of the most important aspects of a WordPress theme.

How much does a WordPress theme cost?

Some WordPress themes are free. WordPress comes with a few bundled in to give you a start when building a website. These themes can be limited in their functionality, power and overall ease of use but they give bloggers and small businesses an opportunity to have an online presence with minimal effort.

Of course there is also the option of buying a theme. Usually paid for themes are more versatile and flexible. They offer so much more in terms of how sleek a website can look, how much more control you have in terms of page design and some of the time, you can design your own page layout templates to use across your website.

Purchasing domain names carefully is a very important aspect of owning a website. Having a website is an important part of running a business. Make sure you are the rightful registered owner of your domain name.

What is a WordPress plugin?

Plugins are free or paid for extras you can add to your website or blog. They are generally quite niche and often offer something specific to the website. An example of this can be a popup for a competition that gets displayed when someone visits your site; a gallery to showcase beautiful artwork and images; or a plugin to make your website more secure and less likely to be hacked or broken into. You can get more powerful plugins that monitor how many people visit your site and how much time they’ve spent on different pages as well.

Plugins aren’t always necessary as many themes have features built in that plugins offer, making sure there are ‘less cogs that need oiling’. Plugins can be a weak spot for hackers to target so only having necessary ones is a more prudent approach.

As with anything, if you have the budget and spend some cash, you can get your hands on some pretty powerful themes and plugins ultimately making your WordPress themed website more and more standalone and a cut above the rest. If you don’t have the funds available it’s okay, the free themes are more than capable of delivering a great looking website.

Further reading

What is the best WordPress theme for my website?

I am concerned about my site being hacked. How do I prevent this?

Visit our learning hub for more articles

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