Social networking tips for job seekers

Written by Segun Akiode - Nigeria

Segun Akiode

Social networking involves communication and interaction between "friends" or "connections" or people that are a part of your online community. An online community is built by the effective use of social media platforms.

Social media networking or simply social networking is using social media to network with people in the same way that you would do in a face-to-face interaction. Social media networking does not replace an offline interaction, it only adds to it and enhances real-time communications among people across different geographically locations.

In my line of work as a talent-sourcing specialist with special interest in social recruiting, I am often asked, "What are the basic social media etiquettes that govern the use of social media by jobseekers?" I attempt to answer that question in today's article. Permit me to cite a few social networking tips for job seekers:

Focus on a value-adding social relationship: 

As a job seeker, you need to know that in order for you to take advantage of social networking, you have to realise that recruiting is all about building relationships. When you use social media to connect with people: friends, recruiters and hiring managers, your focus should be to add value.

Before you know it, value will flow back to you in return. That is the secret of social media networking you need to come to terms with. People make job referrals first to their friends and not their enemies.

Endeavour to know your social media audience: 

Every social media platform is built on its own unique audience.

And as a job seeker, you need an understanding of your social media audience to leverage social media platforms. As a job seeker, make sure your messages are appealing to the people who read them.

Tips for writing a better blog

Written by Geoff Iyatse

There is no doubt that blogging helps to improve engagement and communication between your business and your customers. Many business owners have recognised that fact, and they have been quite successful at dedicated business blogging. The result is increased traffic to their websites or blogs, increased awareness of their services or products, increased positive perception (depending on how well managed the blog is) and, ultimately, increased sales.

However, blogging can be time-consuming and if writing does not come naturally, it can be such a chore that it is easy to abandon it altogether.

To enjoy the benefits listed above, one has to learn to be patient and be willing to master the art and science of creating an interesting blog.

Here are tips that can help you to write a better blog:

Understand your audience

While it is tempting to start a business blog, it is also important to understand your audience - who they are, where they are, why they will be interested in reading your articles, what their pains are and others.

For example, I found it interesting that comments on a popular food blog show that the audience are primarily women who are looking for new ways to spice up the family dining sessions at home. That insight is a great point to plan a blog.

What is your premise? To help you dig deep, you can start to researching what others within your industry are blogging and the response their posts are receiving. This may not often give you the whole picture. A blog may be receiving lots of traffic but little or no comments. It does not mean people are not reading the blog. However, that can form a great starting point to help you carve your niche.

Understand what makes your target audience tick. Are they looking for something humorous to take them through the day? Are they looking for something serious to help them to solve a pressing problem? Are they looking for insider information in the industry?

Understanding your audience is just a first step to getting blogging right.

Managing oneself in the Digital Age

Written by Opeseyi Joel - Nigeria

The Wired World: A graphic representation of the Internet

In today's ever varying marketplace, one wonders: How do we manage oneself in the digital age? Most businesses believe that they have a digital presence but it is not sufficient for them to just have a website and a few social channels. To have an overall digital marketing presence, one must stand against the competition, and more significantly, drive more clientele to their business.

The first place to initiate is to think about what is already in the digital domain about you, review it and then take manage of how your 'brand' is being accessible to anybody (a prospect or present manager, potential client or even member of the press) who may wish to give you an opportunity.

Would they want to know more about you or form an instant judgement of your 'brand' based on images, remarks, you make on social media pages for example?

The preponderance of digital and media sense business people do have some component of social media existence. They manage perceptions and their individual and business brand image by putting their best genuine selves on the noticeable digital shelf. They almost always have deliberately thought about how they exhibit their personality.They do so by unscrambling their business social media from personal.

Through the supremacy of the Internet, companies are now capable to tap into a networked financial system where they can connect with a multiplicity of businesses, clientele, technology and a distribution system of information that supersedes the antiquated ways of oldmedia. The World Wide Web and Internet have revolutionized what a corporation must do to be successful in the digital age, but managing begins by understanding what it takes to adapt to the changing landscape of the market and which technologies are needed to help businesses evolve.

Understanding increased hacking With today's market, businesses need to tap into discovering new,creative ways to grow their digital presence. Increased hacking requires the ability to be analytical and drive results based on media, customer engagement and data.

However, one must also be able to think outside of the box and create strategies that no one has thought of before. Once this balance is reached, through trial and error,businesses will be able to reach more clientele through more engaged efforts to construct social traction and online exposure. Though this is a case-by-case basis, through research, analytics and creativity, a business can even potentially catch a wave of viral marketing by trying out dissimilar policies that put across the significance of their goods, products, or services that wow their clientele so they want to share the experience with their connections.

Discovery through relevancy

Truth, lies and breaking news

Written by Adeola kayode - Nigeria

Adeola kayode

With the popularity of blogs, social media and camera phones, almost everybody is now a citizen journalist. This is putting much pressure on the society who must separate facts from rumours.

Social media are a powerful tool, and the people who know how to use them are getting results. They are a great means to connect with others and to share information on things that are important to us.

However, they also come with their pitfalls and challenges. An important trend we need to guard against is the way many people spread false, obsolete and malicious information online.

We have all experienced it: breaking news of someone's car being stolen, a picture of events that happened years ago but posted like a current issue and so on.

At the 2014 World Economic Forum's Network of Global Agenda Council, members voted the rapid spread of online misinformation as one of the top 10 threats facing the world.

The viral spread and rapid response false online information usually generates has become a global cause of concern. Consider that two of the major images people created and spread during the start of #Bringbackourgirls campaign were traced to a completely unrelated event in Africa.

Also consider the recent false story which claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan's Chief Security Officer, Gordon Obuah, was dead.

In this age of website journalists, it is easy for people with malicious intentions to set up website for the purpose of spreading false information.

We hear of breaking news today but only to find out that some copy-and-paste bloggers are the source of the information. As a result, we need to think before we share false information so that we do not become a conduit pipe for falsehood.

In fact, whatever you share online is a reflection of your intelligence and it affects your credibility. This is why I want to share with you some simple fact-checking tips:

Go beyond the headlines

The challenge is that many people do not read the stories but stop at the headlines. Look at the context. Get the whole story. If you had bothered to cross-check before shocking your colleagues, you could have stopped some major problems caused by falsehood. If you had read headlines about the Niger Delta question posed to the President during his recent visit to the United States, you would been very angry with him. But the video and the complete story said something else. A headline has its purpose; it not a summary of the content of the story. In many cases, it is crafted to attract attention to the story.

Who is saying it?

As someone said, "If using the phone keypads cannot be taken as a typing skill during interviews, you also cannot assume that everyone sharing information online is a credible source."

According to Eric Scherer, a director of future media, France Television, who spoke at an International Journalism Festival in Perugia in May, "The next big thing is not attention; the next big thing is trust."

The renaissance of Nigerian music

Written by Jide Ojo - Nigeria

Follow Jide Ojo on twitter @jideojong

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain" -Bob Marley

I love good music. If there is one thing I am addicted to, it is soulful, joyful noises. I listen to all genres of music from the traditional to the contemporary. I have a stockpile of downloaded music on my phones and personal computers. I have also invested a small fortune buying musical cassettes and compact discs. They range from indigenous juju, fuji, apala, Afro-beat, highlife, and sakara to the contemporary hip-hop, pop, jazz, and rap. I am also in love with country music and gospel. As rightly observed by Taylor Swift, "People haven't always been there for me but music always has." What do I love in music? I love the inspiration, the idioms, the creativity, the originality and the relaxation that good music offers.

Among my Nigerian music icons are Sir Victor Abimbola Olaiya, I.K. Dairo, Adeolu Akinsanya (Baba Eto), Tunji Oyelana, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, Lijadu Sisters, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe of the Osondi Owendi fame, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Christy Essien-Igbokwe, Sunny Okosun, Onyeka Onwenu, Oliver De Coque, Lara George and a host of other artistes too numerous to mention.

The evolution of Nigerian music is phenomenal. There was a time highlife ruled the Nigerian music world. Then came juju, fuji and Afro-beat popularised by Fela in the sixties. Thereafter came the Nigerian brand of hip-hop in the early eighties. I remember the likes of Mike Okri, Felix Lebarty, Danny Wilson, Blackky, Chris Okotie, Dizzy K. Falola and Alex Zitto. On the reggae side, we had the Mandators, Oritz Wiliki, Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono and Evi Edna Ogholi. The evolution gave way to revolution in the 90s with the emergence of new kids on the block like The Remedies, Plantashun Boyz, Daddy Showkey, Papa Fryo and Daddy Fresh. There was also Junior and Pretty, Maintain group and the Styl-Plus group. The split of The Remedies and Plantashun Boyz gave rise to star artistes like Tuface Idibia, Tony Tetuila and Eedris AbdulKarim.

Avoid engaging in these discussions

Written by Ife Adedapo - Nigeria

Some discussions have been identified by human resource managers as inappropriate in the workplace.

This is because they have been discovered to cause loss of concentration and focus among employees.

Moreover, business owners believe that main objectives of the organisation in the long run may not be achieved if such discussions continue unchecked.

Professionals say it is common to have such discussions in the office because most people spend a better part of their day in the office and their confidants are also their colleagues at work. However, experts advise that the discussions people should have within the confines of the office should be work-related.

Human resource experts have pointed out that professionalism should be maintained at work and personal discussions left till after work hours.

According to them, some of these topics that have high engagement can lead to arguments, uproar or create an avenue for gossip.

It has been discovered that the consequences of uncultured deliberations may also affect the people involved and can tarnish their reputation or damage their chances of promotion.

Experts have pointed out some issues which should never be discussed at work and they include:

Family problems

Professionals say talking about the problems you have with your family will reveal your weaknesses. When you discuss problems you are having with others, your co-workers and your boss may wonder if those problems are distracting you from doing your job. They say this should be avoided, especially if the person involved is not in a position of authority.

The Managing Director, Bestway Corporate Services, Mr. Victor Abayomi, says the co-workers may share this information with the management, which could lead them to believe that your family problems could affect your work.

He says, "The office is strictly a business place; therefore, marital issues should be kept away from it. It also brings disrespect to the person involved."

Sexual exploits

Experts say no one is interested in listening to what you and your partner did last night in bed. Sex should never be a topic of discussion at work because your partner probably will not be happy that you are relating intimate details of your sex life to others and such discussions may make other co-workers feel uncomfortable.

Scientists crack secret of eternal youth

Medical practitioners

Find some people can halt, reverse ageing process during their thirties

IT seems like something from the realm of science-fiction. Some people can halt - and even reverse - the ageing process in their thirties, scientists say.

A team who measured the effects of getting older on nearly 1,000 men and women found that over a 12-year period, three of the participants had shown no deterioration.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science journal.

Duke researchers analysed medical data from almost a thousand 38 year olds. While some appeared medically in their late 20s, some seemed almost 60.

They had biologically aged zero years, and had even begun to look younger. These people may hold the key to developing what would in effect be a fountain of youth, say the team from universities in Britain, the US, Israel and New Zealand.

While some cheated the ageing process, however, others were found to have aged biologically by three years for each calendar year.

The study focused on 954 people in the New Zealand city of Dunedin who have been tracked for several years.

The researchers devised a measure called 'biological age' to assess how worn out the participants' bodies were internally.

HOW THEY DID IT

The data comes from the Dunedin Study, a landmark longitudinal study that has tracked more than a thousand people born in 1972-73 in the same town from birth to the present.

Health measures like blood pressure and liver function have been taken regularly, along with interviews and other assessments.

Belsky said the progress of aging shows in human organs just as it does in eyes, joints and hair, but sooner.

Female mechanic grooms female students in automobile repairs

Written by BY SAM OTTI - SUN, Nigeria

• Inducts 30 girls in After School Club

Female mechanic grooms female students in automobile repairs

She is one woman that has decided to be different. To her, the saying, 'what a man can do, a woman can do even better' isn't just a cliché. She walks and works in a man's world, and has made a huge success of it. Her name is Sandra Aguebor, and she's regarded as Nigeria's first female mechanic.

And through her efforts, very soon, female motor mechanics might dominate the automobile industry in Nigeria, with the recent campaign by Aguebor who is also the founder, Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI).

Working in collaboration with MacAthur Foundation based in the United States, her group launched a catch-them-young programme tagged, After School Club Project, for public schools in Lagos State to groom young female students for gainful employment.

At the induction ceremony of 30 female students drawn from Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Oregun Junior High School and Agidingbi Junior Grammar School, Aguebor recalled her humble beginning as a motor mechanic. In her words at the event, according priority to technical skills would reduce the high unemployment in the country. The woman informed her audience that she started her apprenticeship in a motor mechanic workshop during her early days in secondary school, a decision she never regretted till date.

Getting fit the tech way

Written by Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade - Nigeria

Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade

I am very familiar with staying fit, or at least attempting to do so. I am also very familiar with sticking to a budget. Not my choosing though. Several years of engaging in sports, followed by years of struggling with the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, have definitely taken their toll on my body.

When I find myself cash-strapped, I used to think that was the perfect excuse to cancel my gym membership and my workout plan. Now, I know that it's all more reason to get creative.

It is hard to find the motivation to stay in shape. Once you do find that push to get fit, it is hard to stick to the plan. Fees for gym memberships, personal training sessions, new workout gear and equipment add up to a foreboding and massive number, leading us to throw those fitness goals out of the window. There are ways to get around spending so much money.

YouTube

YouTube has evolved into a resource for almost everything. You can see cats doing crazy things, watch your favorite music videos, learn a new skill and tour a foreign country. The possibilities are literally endless, and when it comes to fitness, YouTube has earned its rightful spot on the free resource list.

I recognise that it may seem counterproductive to sit in front of a computer screen in order to get fit. But utilising YouTube in an efficient way will actually get you out of that computer chair and into those jeans. There are tons of workout videos and YouTube channels that feature great fitness routines that cater for everyone. Squeeze in a quick yoga sequence or complete an hour-long training session without spending a kobo.

After escaping Boko Haram, Chibok girls adjust to new life in America

Culled from Cosmopolitan

After escaping Boko Haram, Chibok girls adjust to new life in America

Grace slept through the sounds of gunfire in the night. Exhausted from final exams at her boarding school in Nigeria, she awoke when her roommate Mary prodded her, "Get up!"

Suddenly, the girls saw a gang of men spreading across the school grounds. "They said they were soldiers. They said they were there to protect us," Grace says. "They told us all to stay together."

Terrified, the girls did as they were told. The men made their way to the pantry, grabbing all the food. Then they headed for the administrative office. On the way, they began shouting, "Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar!" It means "God is great" in Arabic. They lit the office on fire.

"We realized they were impostors," Grace says. "They were not there to help us." But it was too late to run. The girls were forced into trucks at gunpoint. Grace sat with Mary as their vehicle roared off into the dawn. As the school burned in their wake, lighting the sky, Grace thought: "These men are going to kill us."

How to make it BIG in Nigeria

As a writer and a student of business literature, any time I come across a Nigerian entrepreneur sharing his thoughts and life experiences in the form of a book which others can read and be inspired by, I feel so fulfilled. The real heroes of Nigeria, to me, are not our politicians who make their easy money running into millions and billions bleeding our coffers. The real heroes of Nigeria are people like Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Cletus Ibeto and every entrepreneur, big or small-people who started from nothing to create a business which grows from small to mighty. People who waded though all kinds of obstacles but never gave up until they scored their goals. People who create businesses that employ many in this country of ours bedeviled by the big, ravaging monster, the time bomb called unemployment.

Poly I. Emenike, chairman and founder of Neros Pharmaceuticals, an entrepreneur par excellence whose book,ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRITS: Through the Seventeen Success Principles of Napoleon Hill is to be presented at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on Wednesday is a Nigerian hero whose story is the type that movies are made of. He belongs to the generation of Igbo who came out of the Nigerian Civil War with nothing-no education, no money, no connections, no strong foundation upon which to build their future success. But still, they made it, guided by the hand of God who blesses those who use their brains to create wealth.

After the civil war, Emenike came to Lagos trading in bathroom slippers. He bought his goods from one Alhaji Kadiri who was Emenike's hero and role model on the grounds that he owned a Volvo car. When he suddenly bought two brand new ones, Emenike was filled with awe and admiration. He started praying, dreaming and hoping that one day, he too would work hard and own a Volvo like Alhaji Kadiri. But as he examined and frankly assessed his life and the way he was going, he knew that merely selling bathroom slippers would not take him anywhere in life, let alone buy a brand new Volvo. He knew he had to drastically change his line of business and move into something more lucrative, if he wanted to go far in life.

Places to get life partners

Written by Peter Okeugo

Mr. Right does not always show up with roses at your doorsteps. Neither will Miss Right sprout from the soil. You have to position yourself to be noticed. Where? How?

Shopping mall

Give up the habit of shopping at smaller supermarkets; rather, opt for shopping malls. One strategic way of being spotted by a potential lover is to identify what he or she may be likely to shop for and hang around there. A man can hang around a wig or hair extension shop, while ladies can visit menswear section to be spotted.

Volunteer organisation

Volunteering can be a fast card to walking down the aisle sooner than later. Humanitarian organisations like those in charge of the elderly, health awareness groups or social activism groups are usually in need of volunteers. Volunteer on weekend when you have less work to do. This develops your ability for social interaction too.

Women doing the uncommon: Amazing world of Female barbers, bus drivers, others

Culled from Saturday Punch - Nigeria

In a very competitive environment where opportunities are few, some women are taking the bull by the horn, carving a niche for themselves in male-dominated vocations writes Eric Dumo

Female-mechanics-at-work

There are many things that make her thick. Apart from standing at a staggering 6feet and having a plum built, Gladys Famous is a giant in many ways. Venturing into a vocation largely the preserve of men, the Edo State-born young woman has been able to make a name for herself in her Ijede, Ikorodu neighborhood by dishing out amazing hair cuts to dozens of customers. The first female barber in the entire community, Famous enjoys a large following. In 2012, she emerged among the best 10 barbers in the whole of Lagos at the annual State competition organized by a popular clipper manufacturer. Today, having toiled so hard to own a well-equipped salon, she is giving male colleagues in the business a run for their game.

"I have been in this job for about four years and I'm enjoying every bit of it,"  she said, "I never really planned to be a barber but after looking for a job without success, I decided to make a meaning out of my life.

"There was a day I had a dream where I saw a woman on knickers cutting a man's hair. Even though I was amazed by that dream, I didn't think it could be telling me something because my plans were completely different from what I am doing today.

"Along the line, a friend who was searching for a job for me asked me one day what other thing I would love to do apart from working in an office and the only thing I told him was that I wanted to be a barber. He asked if I was serious about it and I said yes. So he took me to a guy named Shina to train me and later paid the registration fee of N20, 000 for me. The man didn't even believe that I would take the training serious. Many times he would drive by just to see if I was there and to his surprise, he would find me there. That was how I started this journey."

Female LAWMA truck driver at work

But it wasn't a smooth sail for Famous climbing the ladder of success. There were several obstacles along the way - some enough to extinguish her fire. Apart from the envy and criticisms from male colleagues she came up against, sexual harassment from naughty customers was another challenge that almost forced her out of the profession. Only the resolve to succeed in this male-dominated path, she explained, kept her going.

"My boss who trained me on this job really treated me well because I was attracting customers to his salon. As a result of my presence in that salon, people trooped in droves even though many of them never really required a haircut. They just wanted to see me at work because it was a bit strange to them that a female could be barbing. For this reason, my boss liked and pampered me.

Ikeja beauty parlours: Home of deadly glamour

Written by Anna Okon - Punch, Nigeria.

From the dingy shops and dubious tools of self-acclaimed hairdressers under the Ikeja Bridge, Lagos, come a most unexpected service: breast enhancement.

The Lagos traffic snakes along the main road from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, crawling sluggishly towards the bridge which leads to the Oba Akran Road. A similar scenario plays out under the bridge where rows of shops line both sides of the road. Smartly dressed young men and women are everywhere, clustering around these shops, while some are by the road side calling on pedestrians, trying to entice them for patronage.

This place is known as Ikeja Under Bridge. It is an area that has always been home to both male and female artisans in the beauty business.

Recently, however, men appear to have upstaged women in the business. It is now a common sight to see young men hovering along the fringes of the roundabout linking Obafemi Awolowo Way and Oba Akran Avenue, soliciting customers and taking them to nearby shops.

One of these shops is owned by Linus Solanke (not real names), a hairdresser. He is one of those who make extra money by renting out their shops on a short-time basis to other hairdressers who need space for a few hours to attend to their customers.

Solanke's salon, a makeshift space, is equipped with a wall mirror and a few straight-backed chairs and it has become a haven for other young men who do hair braiding, pedicure and manicure body piercing, tattoos, permanent eye lashes/brows, permanent lip colour and other services. For each client attended to in his shop, Solanke charges between N300 and N400.

While in their salons, one easily understands why men are taking over the business. Unlike their female counterparts, the young men take their time to do their work and their charges are very flexible. Whereas the women charge between N2, 500 and N3, 000 for hair 'fixing,' the men take as low as N1,000 or less and they hardly leave a client unattended to.

One man's shit, another man's treasure

Written by by Jayne Augoye - Punch, Nigeria

Once denied and despised by society, sewage and waste water evacuators now live their lives to the fullest, Jayne Augoye writes

THIRTY-TWO years ago, when Gilbert Quansah had just ventured into sewage and waste waters disposal business, he was very shrewd in the way he managed information about the 'profession.' He was conscious of the fact that it was generally despised in the society, to the extent that the practitioners were popularly called 'agbepo' or shit bowl carrier.

One of the things he did was to keep the move secret from his family and in-laws in his home country, Ghana. It was when things began to look up for him and he had something to show for the dirt he carried that he showed his true colour at home.

He recalls, "I was too scared to tell my wife. Even when some members of my family discovered, they were mad at me. But when my wife came to join me in Nigeria and saw that I was living fine, she immediately embraced my job. Today, my in-laws are very proud of me."

He adds that in Ghana, the business is more lucrative because it is still considered to be a dirty one and that way, the operators charge more. But here in Nigeria, because there are more trucks and more operators, competition is stiffer.

Yet, Quansah says he rakes in more money than he ever dreamt of, evacuating human waste and sewage from toilets and septic tanks. So engrossed has he become in the job that he does not find it difficult to evacuate sewage with his bare hands.

Today, Quansah is fulfilled. He is the chairman, National Union of Sewage and Waste Waters Disposal Association, Ojota - New-Garage, Odo Iya Alaro discharging unit in Lagos. He is a proud owner of three sewage evacuation trucks in Nigeria and Ghana. He has also built a home in Ghana and in a Lagos surburb. In addition, all his children are graduates from Ghanaian universities.

The 63-year-old, who only recently acquired a tipper truck, confidently brought out his business card and gave to our correspondent during their first meeting, while leaning slightly on his Mitsubishi Montero Sport SUV.

Boldly inscribed on the rather colourful and well printed card is the inscription, 'Your Mess is our Job'.

His first truck

Quansah started out accompanying sewage trucks owned by a popular business merchant in Oshodi at the time. He gave the man's name simply as Dosummu.

He recalls his journey with a feeling of nostalgia, "After learning on the job for six months, I was able to buy my own truck for N900, 000 after winning N500,000 in the National Lottery in 1980. That was the same year I moved to Nigeria. I added the little savings I had made to the money."

Quansah says that because of his nationality, he was not allowed to drive the truck then. He would sit in the vehicle with the driver most of the time. As a 'first timer' in Lagos, he was afraid the driver could run away with the truck. Three decades after, the truck still stands and it is a constant reminder of how far he has come in the business. He attributes this to proper maintenance and love for a job that has accorded him the good things of life.

But Quansah's story is just one of out of many others told by hard working men who evacuate sewage from countless households and offices around the country. Although they have chosen to dabble into a business that many consider only fit for the never-do-well in the society, they continue to make cool cash.

How prepared are you for retirement?

Written by 'Nimi Akinkugbe 

Email: nakinkugbe@punchng.com

Have you been planning and saving for retirement over the years or have you failed to address this most important stage of your life and suddenly find that retirement is looming? Will your nest egg be able to provide the kind of lifestyle that you desire for the rest of your life? Here are some issues to consider in planning for retirement.

How do you plan to spend your retirement? Consider these scenarios: Several hours of golf may be one of your goals; or it could be world travel, spending more time with your children and grandchildren, or pottering around your garden. At last, you can take your passion or hobby to a new level. You might want to give back to your community through volunteering or philanthropy. Would you like to go back to school just to learn about a subject you've always been interested in, or to share the immense knowledge and experience that you have garnered over the years by teaching?

The possibilities are endless; ideally, this should be the time of your life where you are open to new and exciting opportunities that will keep you productive, mentally stimulated and fulfilled. For far too many people, however, an uncertain future clouds these rosy pictures and they may never become a reality without adequate preparation.

The earlier you begin to save and invest, the more time the power of compounding has to work and your money has to grow. Those who start saving for retirement in their 20s have a much better chance of building a significant nest egg. Saving even a small amount on a regular basis can add up to a tidy sum over a long period of time. The younger you are and the more you have saved, the less you will need to amass in future.

How much do you have to start saving now to generate the kind of income that you will need to afford the lifestyle you desire? It is increasingly rare for a pension to be able to cover all your retirement needs. Your retirement income is likely to come from your pension as well as other savings and investments. As life spans increase, it is not unusual to spend well over 20 years in retirement; so, you need to be sure that your financial resources can last as long as you do.

Ogunmupe: How Riches Come To You

Written by Bayo Ogunmupe -Nigeria

Phone: +234 8034673443

THE universe desires you to have everything you want. Nature or Jehovah is friendly to your plans. He will assent to them if you are virtuous. The world is at your beck and call. Believe this and act it out as the truth, and it shall be so. However, it is essential that your purpose is in harmony with Jehovah's will.

You must want a life of substance, not mere pleasure or sensual gratification. Life thrives on functional performance; you live only when you perform every function physically, mentally and spiritually. God will not grant your wish to be rich in order for you to live swinishly, for the gratification of animal desires. Jehovah will grant you riches in order that you may eat, drink, and be merry when it is proper to do so; in order that you may surround yourself with beautiful things, see distant lands, feed your mind, develop your intellect, in order that you may love men and be kind to them and partake in helping the world find truth.

But extreme altruism isn't better or nobler than selfishness; both are mistakes. Forget the idea that God wants you to sacrifice yourself for others, and that you can secure His favour by so doing. God requires nothing of the kind. What God wants is that you make the most of yourself, so that you can help others more by your riches. You can make the most of yourself more by getting rich. So, it is right and praiseworthy that you give your first and best thought to the work of acquiring wealth.

However, be aware that creative imagination or desire will create things for you but it will not take things away from someone else and give them to you. You must rid yourself of competition in thought or action. You are to create not to compete for God's abundance. You are a creator not a competitor. Plutocrats who become very rich, do so purely by their extraordinary ability, not by competition. Perhaps, competition unlocks the ingenuity in them, enabling them outstrip their rivals. John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Purpont Morgan were the unconscious agents of the Almighty in the necessary work of systematizing and organizing the American civilization.

Riches secured through competition are never satisfactory and permanent. They are yours today and another's tomorrow. Remember, if you want to be rich, you must rise above competitive thought, for competition saps your power to create. What is worse, you will arrest the creativity you have already garnered. Know that the money you need will come. Never look at the visible supply, look always at the limitless riches in nature and know that they are coming to you, according to your needs. All you need do is to focalize and express your desire to God.

10 'H's of sticky digital content

Written by Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo -Nigeria

(me@andyemegbo.com @andyemegbo)

 Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo 

Content makes the Internet worthwhile. Recently, a popular document sharing social network, Slideshare, announced that its 10th million document had been uploaded. Sadly, this report revealed that the continent of Africa accounted for about 1 per cent of uploads (roughly 100,000 documents).

People and organisations do struggle to create the right contents for their target audiences. With so much competition for content online, it is a real struggle to create compelling content, especially when the products and services you offer are not news, lifestyle or entertainment related.

For one, most organisations simply reproduce the content of their brochures on their websites and social media platforms.

There is also a dearth of competent content strategists. Furthermore, content writers that understand brands and know how to represent their content needs are few and far between in this environment.

People are sometimes lax about following the rules of business writing when they are online. The challenge is to find the right resources that they can write about within the context of the brand they are supposed to represent. For instance, while an insurance firm's online presence may focus on its various products and services, visitors to its website and fans of its social media community need to trust the brand more.

A good content strategy might focus on trying to build trust by providing content that helps people understand the nuances of insurance. Such content might also include how claims have been handled, tips on how to get the best of their insurance coverage, free online advisory services, etc. People love freebies and might just keep coming until they are hooked. Content marketing remains one of the most under optimised forms of digital marketing – an opportunity begging to be exploited.

No matter what business you are involved in, you can use this acronym – "10H" – to guide how you create and curate great and "sticky" content online.

The truth about chemical hair relaxers, extensions

Written by Sade Oguntola  - Nigeria

Chemical hair relaxers and extensions have found widespread use among women because of the desire to look beautiful, be socially acceptable and because of the convenience and ease of managing such hair. Experts warn, however, that these beautification processes, are not without their hazards to the users, reports Sade Oguntola.

Stella Okonkwo's hair had damaged over the years from decades of wearing weaves and hair extensions. The more her hair was thinning out and damaged, the more reliant she was on extensions to cover up her bald spots.

"Over a period of five years my hair was thin and damaged. The colour changed from black to reddish brown because of the frequency of applying relaxer, weaves and sometimes glue to make some hair styles," retorted Mrs Okonkwo, a school teacher. She admitted that the hair loss was worse when she wears tiny weaves or glues hair extension.

Hair loss is an epidemic among Nigerian women. It is a significant problem for women of all ages, especially now that hairstyles and braids are done on relaxed hair. Hairstyles like braids and extensions onto the hair put pressure on the relaxed hair, which results in hair breaking or falling out.