Don’t let it weigh on your conscience—the words paid and volunteer CAN actually be placed side-by-side and be just as charitable as the unpaid variation. Paid international volunteer work is no myth, and although it usually requires a bit more work in finding, it will most certainly pay off in the end (both literally and figuratively).
Tired of scavenging the internet up through the 50th page of your search engine’s “Paid Volunteer Work” results with nothing but disappointment? There are plenty of deceptive volunteer abroad programs with hidden fees masking over a handful of legit paid volunteer jobs.
To make everyone’s life easier, we’re highlighting some genuine and inspiring avenues to help become an ace paid volunteer abroad, so you can set out to do some good without the financial hardships. Close your 45345 open tabs and read on for 9 resources to find paid volunteer work overseas!
FAQs
What is “paid volunteer work?”
Why do so many volunteer projects require a fee, if you’re doing a service by helping out? Many programs out there do ask for a modest program cost or at least enough to cover your room and board. It’s worth noting that this is not a ploy to cheat willing participants out of some hard earned cash, nor is it a money making machine (if you’re working with a legitimate organization).
There is definitely good reason why you should pay volunteer abroad, including covering unavoidable costs to be able to allocate more resources to the target cause. However, not everyone has the means to afford some good ol’ philanthropy along with an international flight, and this is where the magic of paid international volunteer work comes in.
To answer the question “Do you get paid for volunteer work?”, it’s a matter of how you view compensation. Reimbursement for your services as a paid volunteer abroad can cover a full spectrum of associated costs, such as accommodations, meals, monetary payment, and flight stipends. Whether it’s straight up receiving cash in the hand or a meal every day, paid volunteers can expect to receive some aspect of their personal cost covered without providing payment in return to participate in the volunteer experience.
Can you actually find paid volunteer jobs?
Yes. It’s very real. Paid community service isn’t necessarily the norm, but it is out there if you’re willing to work to find it.
What does paid international volunteer work look like?
Being on the receiving side of the volunteer spectrum, rather than the fee giving side, means that application competition is heightened and specialized skills may be a requirement.
Applications for large, competitive programs for paid volunteer work abroad for adults can be due several months to a year in advance, so you better have an insanely organized life plan! Because funds to support volunteers are limited, these organizations have to be very selective on which applicants they choose. This can also be your chance to finally use that college degree or put your medical license to good, global use. Depending on the program, you may need to have these professional credentials to even qualify. But hey, at least you won’t have to pay to volunteer abroad, right?
HOWEVER, not all paid volunteer jobs are credential doom and competitive gloom! It’s also a possibility to do paid volunteering abroad in much less competitive, short-term programs that work directly with project coordinators. Volunteering on a farm, for example, is a great option for a few week stay, compensates with full room and board, and may not require any previous experience.
Where can you get paid to volunteer?
Similar to unpaid volunteer programs, paid volunteer jobs are more common in regions of the world with emerging economies and a demand on financial and physical aid to boost community development efforts. Traditionally popular tourist destinations like Western Europe, Australia, or New Zealand are more likely to offer short job stints instead of longer term volunteer opportunities.
When it comes to the type of organization that facilitates paid volunteer jobs, you can almost certainly bet your bottom dollar that government- or large NGO-sponsored programs will have the means to offer reimbursement of some kind. These types of organizations have many more financial resources to pull from and often run long established programs, such as the Peace Corps or United Nations Volunteer.. Seeking out volunteer opportunities with similarly prominent foundations will save you a ton of time and guess work. You can stop asking “do you get paid for volunteer work” and start asking the important questions, like “what kind of work will I do?”.
Many smaller businesses offering volunteer programs abroad simply don’t have the same funds to grant participants the same assistance. This is usually where the fees paid by the volunteers themselves make the program possible!
9 resources for paid volunteer jobs
Without further ado, we’ll cut the chatter and present some favorite paid volunteer work abroad for adults:
1. Peace Corps
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve probably heard of the Peace Corps or even know someone who’s been a volunteer. U.S. citizens who are 18 years or older are eligible to serve in the Peace Corps for a 27 month assignment with no application costs in a variety of fields around the world. Apart from receiving a housing and living stipend, paid volunteers who successfully complete their assignment also get perks such as a financial package for transitioning back home and massive prestige!
2. WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)
If you don’t have two years to spare to save the world, WWOOFing may be a better option for a bit more flexibility and the power of choice. WWOOF allows you to choose your own organic farm, stay duration, and volunteer work type through each country’s individual website. Although you won’t get paid to volunteer monetarily, you’ll be compensated with free room and board.
3. Become a GVI Trust Scholar
The folks over at GVI have an entire database full of volunteer projects around the world to browse through. While there’s a fee associated with the programs, the organization’s Trust Scholar program, their volunteer abroad scholarship, awards up to £2,000 to eligible applicants.
4. SVP (Sudan Volunteer Programme)
Paid volunteers in the Sudan Volunteer Programme work together to help Sudanese improve their English skills in order to open up better employment opportunities for individuals and communities. In addition to accommodations, participants receive a stipend for their teaching services and support throughout the duration of work. There’s tremendous freedom to choose how you teach, and you’ll still have plenty of free time to connect with the community and practice your own Arabic skills.
5. United Nations Volunteer
Yes, THE United Nations. The prominence of the UN’s volunteer program certainly reflects on its participant requirements, but those that fit the bill will discover some of the world’s top-notch paid volunteer jobs that carry more weight than the average line item on a resume. Over 2,000 assignments become available each year to carry out the United Nations’ mission of fostering peace and promoting development.
6. HelpX
Similar to WWOOF, HelpX shows tons of online listings of farms, ranches, small lodges, and hostels that offer food and stay in exchange for voluntary aid. HelpX is a great resource for paid volunteer work abroad for adults, who have a limited timeframe to work with and would like the flexibility of choosing what work they do and with who. Work directly with your host to sort out anything from dietary restrictions to how you can use your best skills!
7. American Village Camps in France
Help French children learn the joys of American summer camp right in their backyard! As a camp counselor at an American Village Camp, you get paid to volunteer running the camp, interacting with campers in English, and make sure everything goes smoothly according to camp standards and guidelines. Applying is free, and camp counselors receive a stipend, meals, and housing as part of the deal!
8. Volunteer Forever Scholarship
The Volunteer Forever is open to all participants of study, teach, work, and *most importantly* volunteer abroad participants. Turn that costly volunteer work into paid volunteer work with this scholarship that allows you to choose how you wish to use the funds. Offset the cost of airfare, insurance, your personal expenses, or even the program fee itself. Volunteer abroad scholarships are available twice a year!
9. VSO International
For over 60 years, VSO has been fighting poverty in Asia and Africa through paid volunteer jobs. Experienced professionals of various vocations are wanted to help improve living conditions and community development in several capacities. In return for the amazing, life-changing work, volunteers receive a lofty support package that includes a living stipend, insurance, support, meals, and accommodations.
If you’re selling in a competitive market, you should consider using the power of product reviews to get your brand promoted, proven, and trusted. Let’s take a look at why and how. Buying online doesn’t include the perks that come with brick and mortar, like being able to touch, feel, or try products. That’s why 84% of people trust online reviews when shopping online.
Are your products really unique? Do you have competitors selling similar items to the same audiences? Are you struggling with a high rate of cart abandonment? If you’re selling in a competitive market, you should seriously consider using the power of product reviews to get your brand recommended, proven, and trusted.
If you’re not convinced of the importance of online product reviews to increase ecommerce sales or you’re unsure about the most effective strategies to motivate customers to write reviews — this article is for you.
Use this 5-minute read to get savvy and take action with 5 tactics to increase product reviews.
Why product reviews are critical to the success of your online store .Of course, product reviews aren’t just valuable because users trust them. Your team can use customer reviews to optimize a whole lot more than just sales.
Use customer feedback to improve your product(s) and services
No one size fits all — you’ll get both positive and negative reviews when you allow customers to share their honest experiences.
The great thing about negative reviews is the insights they’ll offer on your brand’s reputation and value. What exactly are customers unhappy about? How likely are they to place another order? Are they willing to refer your shop to friends and family?
Knowing the bad is as important as knowing the good: you get a snapshot of how well your products and services fit the market and where improvements are needed to take your business to the next level.
Plus, negative reviews can create a sense of authenticity — after all, nothing gets 100% positive feedback. And how your team handles your responses to said negative feedback can further build trust in your service. As long as you show that you’re willing to listen, help out, and when necessary, offer a refund.
Embrace negative feedback as an opportunity to solve problems and get serious about growth.
Build social proof and create trust in your brand
Social proof comes in endless forms. Are you influenced by YouTube reviews of cosmetics? Do you ask for recommendations on Facebook when traveling somewhere new? Do you read Amazon reviews and ratings when considering hundreds of options?
When it comes to ecommerce, product reviews are a powerful source of social proof. Alongside descriptions and pictures, reviews from real buyers give customers a comprehensive overview. Reviews build trust and give new customers more confidence to take a chance on an unknown brand. If your business is good, product reviews work to promote your brand.
Boost SEO ranking with user-generated content (UGC) marketing
2018 Local Search Ranking Factors report revealed that online product reviews can be a ranking factor, contributing 15.44% in local pack* ranking and 6.47% in organic ranking in Google (based on expert analysis). That means that having many good online reviews can help your business rank significantly higher in Google and other search engines.
When it comes to SEO, optimizing on-page elements — URLs, page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text, product descriptions, link-building, etc. — is a must. But what most people don’t realize is that product reviews also play a vital part in boosting SEO for ecommerce websites.
In a saturated industry like ecommerce, the SEO competition is fierce. So while everyone is sweating their on-page SEO, increasing authentic product reviews could be the secret to beating your competitors in search.
Reviews written by customers add more SEO-valuable content to your product pages because the content is:
Relevant: your customers talk about the exact products sold on your pages, but may use different and more natural language than your product copy
Unique: no other websites have the same review for similar products
Fresh: as more reviews are added, the more frequently your pages get refreshed
*”Local pack” is the stack of companies topped with a Google map that you see in local business search results:
5 proven channels to grow reviews for your products
Okay, so you’re convinced that reviews help. But how do you go about getting more of them? Here are a few tips:
1. Email marketing: follow up with customers to request an honest review
The best time to ask for a product review is after customers have received and had time to experience their purchase. And the most effective channel to reach out post-purchase is email.
Email product reveiw request: “If you have any thoughts after sleeping on your new Casper product, help us out by writing a review.”
The sweet thing about email marketing nowadays is that you don’t have to write and send an email manually. Use an automated email marketing tool like Mailbot or Klaviyo (these apps are made for ecommerce) to have your campaign set up and triggered based on each customer’s behaviors and actions on your store.
For example, you can set up an automated review request campaign that’s triggered to send 2 days after customers receive their order. Or, you can create a segment that defines customers who submitted bad product reviews, so when customers enter this segment, a follow-up campaign to apologize and offer a solution will be triggered.
Your brand is unique. Your store should be too.
Shape your customer’s experience every step of the way, and build a modern ecommerce website — all without writing a single line of code.
2. Thank-you page: offer a coupon in exchange for a review
When customers complete orders and reach the thank-you page, you can encourage them to write a product review. Customer’s don’t typically skip this step because they want to make sure their order is confirmed. This makes the thank-you page a great place to take advantage of review requests.
Of course, customers may hesitate to write a review when they haven’t even experienced the product yet, but you can offer them an incentive to submit a review in the near future.
To make sure customers follow up, provide a direct link to bookmark and/or send it in the order confirmation email so they can write the review later.
3. Loyalty program: offer loyalty points for product reviews
If you use a loyalty program to encourage customer retention, they might be very willing to write you a quick review in exchange for points. This strategy is smart for 2 reasons:
Everyone loves an easy way to earn rewards towards cash or discounts
Loyal customers already love your brand and will likely write great reviews
Ecommerce loyalty program tools like Smile.io and Swell Rewards support giving points for writing product reviews.
4. Social media: request product reviews on social media channels
If social media is where your brand actively attracts traffic and engages with customers, it’s also a great place to request product reviews.
Here are 3 actionable tips you can implement immediately to grow reviews from social platforms:
Pin a post on Facebook and add Instagram highlights to announce and promote your rewards program (discount codes, free shipping coupons, gift cards, etc.)
Share current reviews on your social channels and express your sincere appreciation to motivate others to do the same
Run retargeting ads to target buyers.* Use the ads to both ask for reviews on previous orders and suggest items for future purchases to maximize the ROI (return on investment) of your ad campaigns
* 91% of marketers found that retargeting campaign ads perform the same as or better than email.
5. Customer service: encourage customer support and sales teams to request online product reviews
We often respond more to personal connections than other types of automated outreach. If your business has a customer support or sales team, make it part of their training to request customer reviews.
By offering a bonus or rewards, you can encourage your team to go above and beyond to help collect meaningful customer reviews. Hopefully team members will be highly motivated to provide extraordinary service and request reviews from happy customers. (Emphasis on the happy part.)
White Storks are large, wading birds. They are covered in white feathers, except for the black primary feathers on the wings; and have long, sharp bills and slender legs, both red.
Males are larger than females, but both have identical plumage. Hatchlings and the young have black bills and yellowish-grey legs.
Amazing Stork facts
Here are a few fun facts about these wading birds.
There are 19 species of storks, and they have a lifespan of 30+ years.
The marabou stork is the largest of all of these species, weighing 20 lbs. with a wingspan of 12 feet. The smallest, on the other hand, is the hamerkop, which only weighs 17 ounces.
Identification is rather easy, since they stand so tall and primarily have white, black, and gray feathers.
marabou stork
hamerkop
Feed
Ciconia ciconia feeds by day. It is carnivorous and has a varied diet of small mammals, large insects, amphibians, snakes, lizards, earthworms, fish, eggs and hatchlings of ground-nesting birds, molluscs, and crustaceans.
In years of drought White Storks eat mainly insects and mice. In wet years their diet consists principally of aquatic animals.
White Storks search for food while walking with their bill pointing towards the ground. When prey is detected, they jab forward their bill in order to grab it.
They found
They breed throughout Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and the Middle East. During the winter they migrate in flocks of thousands to tropical Africa, parts of the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.
Thermal updrafts assist their migration. For this reason, they avoid stretches of open water, such as the Mediterranean Sea.
Mate
Ciconia ciconia, from the age of 3 or 4, remains in a lifelong monogamous mating pair.
In spring, males return to breeding grounds, arriving a few days before females and immediately busy themselves enlarging the nest used the previous year. Females, on arrival, also participate in the nest-building. They nest in loose colonies of up to 30 pairs.
The male, when rejoined by the female, carries out the “head-shaking crouch” display. First, he lowers himself into the nest in an incubating posture. Then, stretching out his long neck, he begins to shake his head from side to side. Finally, the couple cement their pair bond with an “up-down” display, in which heads are pumped up and down with wings outstretched, accompanied by the clattering of bills.
Females lay 3 to 5 eggs (normally 4), which hatch after roughly 1 month. Within 8 weeks young White Storks may leave their nesting grounds and become independent.
Stork Behavior
The life of this bird is solitary, choosing to live alone unless it is breeding season. Some species choose to live in groups when they aren’t breeding, while others will live within a flock for their entire life. Their group behavior seems to change from one bird to the next.
Rather than tweeting a song like other birds, the call is a clattering noise made with their bill. Some people compare the sound to that of firing off a machine gun. These calls vary with what the bird is trying to communicate.
Habitat
White Storks love areas with shallow, still water that are neither too cold nor too humid. They avoid regions with vast tracts of tall or dense vegetation. So, they like areas similar to those preferred by humans for agriculture.
During the breeding season, Ciconia ciconia seeks out suitable structures for nest-building, such as tall trees, rooftops, chimneys, haystacks, pylons, telephone poles, or constructed nest towers.
The nest is usually built some 30 metres above ground. With up to 2 m in diameter and 3 in depth, the nest of the White Stork is among the largest of all birds. Sticks, branches, rags, paper, and other available materials are used for its construction.
Where to Find Storks
Most native species of storks come from Europe, and only one species – the wood stork – is even located in the United States. They prefer habitats with wetlands and marshes, giving them easy access to their preferred foods. Since they migrate towards the equator during autumn and winter, they are easiest to spot in the summertime atop buildings or near trees where they build their massive nests. They return after the coldest months have passed in February, March, and April, and the presence of their nests is meant to be a good omen.
When sales drop on Amazon it hurts and that’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re capitalizing on all of the sales that you are getting right now by converting those customers into reviews.
Most Amazon sellers will experience this feeling once in their Amazon lifetime. The thrill of a high sales day can be drained quickly by an unexplained plummet in sales. And to make matters worse, many sellers have no idea where to begin to find an answer.
We’ve got a checklist that will help you find an answer. Now keep in mind, a simple drop in sales is completely normal for Amazon selling. If you’re selling 15 units per day then drop to 8 the next day, well…welcome to Amazon. But what we’re addressing is a plummet in sales – when a product which sells very well suddenly drops to an unusual level.
If you find yourself in the midst of a sales avalanche, we’d recommend using this checklist to figure out what caused it.
SALES SLUMP CHECKLIST
1. SEASONAL DIP IN MY NICHE / PRODUCT
Now if you’re just starting to sell on Amazon, it may be difficult to answer this question. However, many products have a cyclical sales slump each year specific to its category. Keeping track of your monthly sales is a great way to see your yearly sales trends and to prepare for future changes in the market. For now, you might reach out to a friend or Facebook group and ask others in your niche if this is a common time for slower sales.
For example, some sellers may experience a sales dip in February for various reasons. The first time this happens, they may be tempted to blame their own efforts or their product. But the next time February arrives, they can either adjust their expectations or adjust their marketing to try to overcome the slump.
Though statistics are difficult to solidify, many online sellers will tell you that September and October are often slower online sales months. This is often due to the fact that school has recently started and holiday shopping is far from beginning. Sales will often begin to increase as you get closer to Black Friday. If you notice your sales are dropping from your summer highs, don’t freak out just yet. You may just be experiencing a normal sales slump.
2. THE BUY BOX ON LISTING
You’ll want to check to see if someone else has acquired the buy box on your listing. The “buy box” is the box on the right side of your listing where customers choose to “Add to Cart”.
Notice that below the Add to Cart box that there are other sellers on Amazon selling this exact same item. It is possible for one of those sellers to “win” the buy box from this seller and gain sales from their listings.
How do you keep your “buy box”? Amazon determines ownership of the buy box based upon (1) Price, (2) Availability, (3) Shipping options, and (4) Customer Service. In other words, the healthier your seller account and the more competitive your pricing, the more likely you’ll win the buy box.
How do you know if you have the buy box? There are two ways.
First, you can simply go to your listing and see if anyone else is trying to fulfill your product. If you notice another seller listed below the Add to Cart box, you may have competition that can steal the buy box from you.
Secondly, you can see if you’ve retained the buy box in previous days by accessing your account on Seller Central. Simply log into your account, scroll down to the Sales Summary on the right side of your page, then click on “View more of your sales statistics” below your summary.
On the next page, scroll down to the “By date” section on the left side of your Business Reports menu. Click on the “Detail Page Sales and Traffic” link.
Now your page will load a report showing your sales stats by each day of the month. The seventh column over will be the percentage of time you owned the buy box. If you notice that your percentage has dropped in the last day or two, you’ll want to see who else is selling your product online.
If you’re the only seller listing your product on Amazon, you have nothing to fear. However, on a personal note, I was surprised to find that another seller had purchased several units of my product (apparently during a promotion) and then listed them for resale on Amazon at a lower cost than me. Suddenly, we were losing the buy box from someone hoping to make a quick buck. Lowering our price was the key to winning it back.
3. POOR CUSTOMER REVIEW ON MY LISTING
Imagine that a customer has come to your listing to check out your product, and they want to make sure it’s legitimate. So even though you have close to a 5 star review average, they scroll down to see what people are saying about their purchase. And there, sitting at the top of the review section is your latest customer review – a one star review stating that this product just wasn’t what they were expecting at all.
You can imagine, then, that customers can be scared away by the latest review being a poor one. So it’s a good idea to look at your listing during a sales slump to see if you’ve got a bad one waving to everyone at the top of your review section.
4. SALE OR PROMOTION FOR MY PRODUCT RECENTLY END
Many times, Amazon sellers are really bad about creating systems for their business. For that reason, deadlines and end dates fall through the cracks.
When you see yourself suddenly hitting a major sales slump, you may want to check to see if something connected to your listing has expired. For instance, were you running a Christmas sale price to the end of December which raised holiday sales? This could explain why your January 1 sales suddenly dropped. Or did you offer a coupon code through another site that ended recently? These can easily explain the dip in sales.
You also may have an advertisement running on Facebook, Pinterest, or other social media platforms. Did that ad campaign recently expire causing your traffic to slow which in turn caused your sales to drop?
Think through as many of these sales related expiration dates as possible and investigate.
5. SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY AMAZON SPONSORED ADS
If you use Amazon’s PPC ads, you know that they’re a huge source of traffic and sales. If you’re not using Amazon PPC yet, you need to. To get started, check out our other article, “How to Set Up an Amazon PPC Campaign” where we give you step-by-step instructions to setting up your first campaign.
If you’re running Amazon PPC, this is a great place to look for the answer to your sales slump. Two common scenarios that have caused Amazon sellers great anxiety are:
Amazon PPC payment was declined. If your bank account is running low, it could cause Amazon’s payment processing to be declined. If this occurs, you will not receive any notification from Amazon. Your ads will simply stop running.
Amazon Sponsored Ads reached its end date. I always recommend setting an end date to your Amazon PPC ads when you’re first getting started, but when you do, you have to remember which end date you chose. If you’re experiencing a sudden decline in sales, check to be sure your campaign hasn’t ended.
6. GOOGLE ADWORDS CAMPAIGN
Outside of Amazon Sponsored Ads, many sellers turn to Google AdWords to send traffic to their listing. And if you work hard at it, Google can be a tremendous source for traffic and sales for your product.
So you might want to just check to be sure that your Google AdWords account didn’t turn off for some reason. Your AdWords account can be suspended if you your product doesn’t comply with their criteria, your payment for your past AdWords was rejected, of your campaign reached the end date.
Conclusion
There are two sources of encouragement for Amazon sellers who experience a sudden sales plummet. First, it’s comforting to know that you’re not alone. Every seller has experienced the anxiety of watching sales slide off the cliff. Thousands have experienced it and lived to see the day. Heck, many of them grew stronger from it. You can, too.
Secondly, it’s comforting to know exactly where to start looking for answers. Hopefully, these six checklist questions will help you get started with the most common sources of sudden sales decreases. And the longer you stay at it, you’ll be able to add to this list.
If these questions helped you in a time of need, don’t forget to share this checklist with your fellow Amazon sellers.
Sometimes Amazon sales drops are temporary and so it’s important that you capitalize on each and every sale. It’s crucial to convert your everyday customers into reviewers of your products and the best way to do that is by simply asking your customers for a review after they buy your product.
PPC advertising can be incredibly effective at helping you get more sales, but it’s very important to follow up a PPC strategy with a way to convert your buyers into reviewers .
Ask any successful and seasoned Amazon seller what their top three tools to success are, and I guarantee you that PPC will rank in the top three for nearly every one of them.
Amazon’s pay-per-click (PPC) Advertising enables you to advertise to a huge number of people who are not just browsing online but are browsing online to buy something! AND they’re not just buying anything; Amazon let’s you target customers who are wanting to buy a product like yours! How could you ask for a better place to put your advertising dollars? And that is why successful Amazon sellers rely on it so heavily.
If you’re just getting started on Amazon, PPC is even more important. Organic traffic is always best, but it often takes a long time to gain traction. So in order to start ranking your product and getting in front of potential customers, you’ll need to invest in PPC at first. As you gain more and more sales, reviews, and climb the listings, you’ll be able to scale back your dollars and ride the wave of organic traffic.
Thankfully, setting up an Amazon PPC campaign isn’t difficult to do if you follow these simple instructions. Once you’ve gotten your first campaign set up, you’ll want to gain as much insight from your campaign as possible in order to make your PPC dollars an effective investment.
For now, let’s get your first PPC campaign up and running.
HOW TO SET UP AN AMAZON PPC CAMPAIGN
1. Sign in to your Seller Central account, then on your homepage, hover over Advertising. From the Advertising menu, choose Campaign Manager:
2. On the Campaign Manager page, you’ll be asked to “Set up your campaign budget and duration”. Most of this is fairly basic, but let me make a few points relating to this section:
When you name your campaign, keep in mind that you can create multiple ad groups within a campaign, so choose a broad campaign name. For example, if you are running ads during the winter months of January and February, you could name it “Winter 2016”. But within that campaign, you can create multiple ad groups with differing keywords. You’ll be asked to name the ad group on the next page. You might name ad groups “Winter 2016 A” and “Winter 2016 B”. These names are for your reference only.
When setting your daily budget, remember that your daily budget adds up fast. So a $25 daily budget will cost you $350 in two weeks. In other words, decide what your monthly budget should be first, then determine the daily budget.
When choosing the beginning and end dates of your campaign, I always recommend choosing an end date as opposed to leaving it open. If you get really busy with another project, you don’t want to be burning through advertising dollars without realizing it. You may want to simply choose a length of one month in order to get sufficient data from your report.
If you choose “Automatic targeting”, Amazon will auto-generate a campaign of keywords based upon the product you’re advertising. This can be beneficial if you’re simply looking for data from customer searches. However, “Manual Targeting” will allow you to determine which keywords will be used for your campaign. For our example, we’ll choose “Manual Targeting”.
Once you’ve entered your information and made the appropriate selection, click on “Continue to next step”.
3. On the next page, you’ll be asked to “Name this group of ads”. Keep in mind that you can add multiple ad groups to the same campaign, so choose an appropriate name that will distinguish it from other ad groups.
4. Next, you’ll choose which product you’d like to advertise. You can only choose one product for each campaign.
5. Now you’ll need to choose how much you’re willing to spend for each keyword. Keep in mind that by setting your daily budget and keyword bid, you’re determining how many clicks per day you can get. For example, if you set your daily budget at $10 and your keyword bid at $1, you will only receive 10 clicks per day on your ad (if you’re bids actually cost $1). So be sure to set these amounts for maximum effectiveness
6. Next, you’ll need to choose your keywords. This is by far the trickiest and perhaps most important part of your campaign. For now, don’t worry about being an expert on keywords. At first, you’ll mostly be learning from experimentation.
You’ll notice that Amazon offers some suggested keywords. If you don’t have a list already created, you may simply choose one or more of Amazon’s suggestions. As you choose their suggestions, the keywords will appear in the box below.
If you do have specific keywords you wish to run, click on “Provide your own keywords”, then enter one keyword per line. You may also choose whether you want to match the word on a “Broad” basis, a “Phrase” match, or an “Exact Match”. If you’d like to learn more about how each of these search types function, see our article “Broad, Phrase, or Exact Match: Which Search Type Should I Use?”.
7. Once you’ve finished entering your keywords, click on “Save and Finish” at the bottom of the screen.
8. After you’ve completed your campaign information, you’ll be taken back to your Campaign Manager page where you should receive a “Success!” message. Notice that new campaigns typically take approximately one hour before the ads begin appearing in searches.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve successfully created an Amazon advertising campaign that could begin giving your product the kind of exposure it needs.
What’s next? Patience. You’ll certainly want to monitor the success of the keywords you chose, however, it takes time to collect data that will inform which keywords to trash and which to keep.
Setting up a PPC campaign is only the beginning of your journey to successful Amazon marketing. Don’t be discouraged if your initial campaign doesn’t go as well as you expected. The better you get at setting your advertising budget and choosing successful keywords, the more efficient your campaigns will become in getting your advertising spending down and your sales up.
Successful PPC Ad Campaigns follow the formula for success – Create. Analyze. Revise. Repeat. You can do the same!
The Club-winged Manakin (Machaeropterus deliciosus) is a resident breeder in the cloud forest on the western slopes of the Andes Mountains of Colombia and northwestern Ecuador in South America.
Wings & Sound
The really cool part about this bird is that the males produce a violin-like sound in order to attract the females with their wings. Kind of like how crickets use wings to chirp!
According to a Cornell University ornithologist in the July 29 issue of Science, male club-winged manakins use specially adapted feathers in each wing to make a tone – much like a cricket chirping by rubbing together sound-making apparatus in its wings.
This sound makes the male more attractive to the females.
“Essentially an instrument has evolved in this species, in this case a refined instrument,” said Kimberly Bostwick, the paper’s lead author, a curator in the birds and mammals division of Cornell’s Museum of Vertebrates and a research associate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Description
The colorful males of the species have brownish-red feathers, a bright red crown, and black and white wings. The less colorful females are mainly a yellow-green color.
The males of this species gather in an area in order to try and attract the attention of the females. The females mate with their chosen male, and then leave the mating area in order to build a nest and raise the young. The males don’t raise the young, they mainly stick around where they were before, trying to attract the next female. As you can tell, these birds don’t pair up for life.
They average 2.5 cm or 4.9 inches in length, from beak to tip of tail.
Diet
Club-winged Manakins mainly eat fruit but may sometimes supplement their diet with insects. In fact, they can open up their beaks quite a bit, so much so that they can swallow fruits quite large in size. In return for getting much-needed nutrition from the plants they depend on, these birds effectively disperse the seeds of the fruits they eat and, thus, help regenerate their own food supply in the process.
Breeding / Nesting
The average clutch consists of two eggs, which are incubated for 18 to 21 days.
Nowadays, people expect multiple types of content to suit their needs. Not everyone has time to read a 6,000-word blog post. Others want a quick video and then there’s podcasting – a great way to reach people outside of when they’re sitting in front of a computer. The best part? You don’t need to be an established content creator to learn how to start a podcast for your business.
Unlike written or visual content, podcasts are great to listen to when you’re on the treadmill at the gym, on your morning commute to work, sticking your headphones in while doing the hoover and pretty much any time a listener chooses.
Why?
It’s now easier than ever to listen to podcasts. Bluetooth technology lets people listen in their cars. Apple’s Podcast app is pre-installed on every device and it only takes a few clicks to subscribe to a podcast. It’ll also notify them each time a new episode is available to listen and download.
It’s on-demand. Just like Netflix disrupted the streaming industry, podcasting is making its own big moves. Nothing can stop the rise of podcasts as on-demand listening has become the go-to choice for people all over the globe. With over 800,000 active podcasts and over 54 million episodes currently available worldwide, it’s clear the demand is there.
From the software and equipment you’ll need to the long-term benefits of podcasting, continue reading to find out more.
The benefits of podcasting.
The podcasting world has given you a new way to reach your audience. People are hooked on listening to podcasts as it’s an easy way to absorb information with little effort. Still debating on whether or not you should start a podcast? Have a quick read through these benefits and we’ll see if you’ve changed your mind.
Build a personal connection.
It’s different building a connection through written content than visual or audio. Sure, you could read all blogs and comment on each one saying how useful they were but that ‘connection’ probably isn’t there. Mainly because all you’re doing is reading.
If I was on a podcast, I’d be able to open up to you more. You’d hear my voice every week. There would be running jokes and themes and it all builds a more personal relationship.
Do the same for yours. Open up to your viewers and listeners so you can build a relationship with them and in the long run, you’d sell more products because of how loyal they are to you. A voice can engage an audience much better than words on a page can. That voice builds trust and it’s trust that eventually sells a product or service.
It’s convenient.
With podcasting, you don’t need to worry about your audience being so busy they can’t listen and provide value. The great thing about podcasting is listeners can download episodes and replay it whenever they choose. Jogging, driving, working, relaxing – whatever the situation, listeners can consume a podcast episode with no effort.
If listeners subscribe to your podcast feed, they can get episodes downloaded automatically on their devices whenever you release a new one. It’s much quicker than searching for a keyword online and stumbling across your blog post or finding a video they like.
It’s easy to get started.
Obviously, the more successful your podcast becomes, the more you should look to invest so the quality gets better. Although if you’re starting on the journey now, it’s fairly simple to begin. All you’ll really need is a computer, laptop or smartphone, software and a decent connection to the internet.
Alternative to video.
It’s no secret that video marketing is where your focus should be in 2020. However, who’s to say everyone in your team will be comfortable to shoot videos? That can take time. The beauty of podcasting is you can create both audio and video podcasts which gives listeners an option to pick from. If you offer an audio-only option as you see on SoundCloud, that’s fine. Some of your listeners might prefer that method. But combining both and offering your audience the option is a great way of having the best of both worlds.
Increase traffic generation.
Like any form of content, podcasting can help you reach out to new audiences for your business as it builds familiarity. Listeners tend to subscribe to a podcast they like so they can regularly listen. As long as you’re consistent, your audience is likely to continue listening. The knock-on effect is your loyal audience might then recommend your podcast to others. As a result, it increases your reach and can also lead to improved traffic and lead generation pretty quickly.
Improve conversion.
It might sound a little strange as a podcast is a one-sided medium, but it can help you improve conversion. Podcasting regularly helps you build effective relationships with listeners and to them, it gives the feeling they know the person on the podcast. People tend to listen to podcasts because they have something in common with the speaker or the brand. When the relationship is great, it builds trust and listeners then want to be associated with you. When listeners think of you as a friend rather than a stranger, they’re more likely to buy from you which improves conversion rates.
Engaging.
With so much information online, it’s easy for your audience to feel overwhelmed. There’s plenty of written content on the web so audio information makes a nice little change. It also leaves enough room for you to convey your message in a highly interactive way which written content might not always provide.
A survey of 300,000 podcast listeners found that 63% of people had bought something a host promoted on their show. The same survey also revealed that 71% said they’d visit a sponsor’s website, while 63% admitted they’d consider a new product or service advertised on a podcast they’re listening to.
Build more brand authority.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the first in your industry to create a podcast or you’re the latest in a long line of brands adopting the method. Podcasts can help you build up your authority. When you give people more ways to consume your content and hear from the experts in your team, you become the go-to people listeners want to hear from and talk to. Combine your podcasting efforts with audio and video options as well as a dedicated blog post, then you’ve covered all the bases to establish yourself as the leader.
It can be an additional revenue stream.
When you start podcasting, you’ll realize you love doing it and it’s a lot of fun. Although, it’s also a nice way to make some extra money for your business if you’re successful and publish engaging episodes regularly.
The more consistent you are, the more you’ll grow. The more well-known your podcast becomes, the more likely you are to receive opportunities to monetize your episodes through sponsored content, affiliate marketing and more.
Obviously, it’s not a guarantee right away but it’s definitely a possibility down the line.
Brand awareness.
Other than showing up on Google, there are loads of podcast directories where people search for subjects and industries that interest them. If you’re where people are searching, that’s a great start.
The great thing about podcasting is that the level of branding can be quite subtle. You’ll have your logo in the artwork or if you’re creating a video podcast, on the video itself. You’ll probably mention your company name in the intro and outro as well and as podcasting isn’t really a sales tool, listeners will remember you without feeling like they’re being sold to.
Interactive than other types of content.
There are many ways you can get listeners to feel involved in your podcast. Whether it’s competitions, asking for questions through social media or any other way you want to encourage even deeper engagement with your audience. The more audiences feel involved and valued, the more loyal the fan base you could create over time.
Handy onboarding tool.
In industries where lifetime customer value is high, the process of educating your prospects about your brand and your industry can be quite tricky, time-consuming and a bit expensive. Your podcast can also be a brilliant education and onboarding platform. By the time you speak to a new client, there’s a chance they might already know about you which means you waste less time walking them through the entire process.
You can repurpose them.
Every time you create a new episode for your podcast, that doesn’t have to be the end. All the effort you put in can be used in many different ways such as creating snippets for social media, sharing teasers in your Facebook Group or splitting the clips up by subject and publishing them on YouTube.
Whatever you decide to do, there are plenty of ways to repurpose them and reach wider audiences.
Why podcasting works as a content platform.
From a creative standpoint, podcasts can work for almost every subject and industry. You could be an expert in sales and want to share tips and strategies. Maybe a marketer who wants to discuss the latest trends or even a passionate sports fan that has a dream of hosting a weekly show. In reality, no topic is ever too niche.
Then think of devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa. There are millions of people using these devices which means it’s becoming easier for everyone to listen to podcasts at home or on-the-go. It’s simple as it doesn’t require all of your audience’s attention like videos and blog posts do.
The ease-of-use also makes podcasting a really attractive option to try out. It’s not a type of content where listeners need a radio or sit in their cars to listen. Smartphones, desktops, tablets – audiences can listen where they want, when they want. Compare it to other content platforms and you can’t achieve that same intimate connection.
Just think about it. You’re in your target audiences’ ears for around 30 minutes. One on one. No interruptions. No competition trying to steal their attention. That’s quite a powerful tool to have and a great opportunity to form a personal relationship with your audience.
Best of all? Podcasts are free. They’re free for you to create and they’re free for your audience to listen to. Engaging, accessible and at no cost. Try it out and you’ll question why you didn’t make the jump earlier.
The podcasting stats you need to know.
Podcasts have come a long way. The term itself was coined by Adam Curry and David Winder back in 2004 which was a combination of ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’. Their program, iPodder, automatically downloaded internet radio broadcasts and uploaded them to an iPod, basically creating the first-ever podcast.
It didn’t take long for Apple to jump in by adding Podcast Support to iTunes a year later. Now there’s a dedicated app and Apple is just one platform on the marketplace leading the way with Spotify’s listenership not far behind.
Here’s how much it has grown since, plus some stats you need to be aware of.
43% of listeners find new podcasts by asking on social media or an online community, 23% directly ask someone they know, 16% search a podcast app’s directory, 12% search on Google and 6% browse through a podcast chart.
The overarching lesson here is that starting a podcast is great, but being consistent with it is when you’ll begin to see the rewards. To get a better idea of this experiment and the findings in more depth, check out this blog when you have a spare few minutes.
Firstly, consistency is key. The more high-quality episodes you create when podcasting for your business, the more your audience will remember you and stay loyal. Secondly, just start! Nobody ever really assumes that their podcast will be played on a global scale, but you can see above that it’s doable.
This is a great opportunity to market your business further. So, use it as a way to establish yourself as a thought leader, the best in the industry and make your business’ podcast the go-to for people who want to learn and have their problems solved. It’s an underrated lead generation tool you should take advantage of and create an impact on a worldwide scale.
So you’ve got the stats, you understand the benefits of podcasting for business and it’s clear why podcasting works as a content platform. The next step is the most exciting and probably the one you’ve been waiting for – how to get started with creating a podcast for your business.
How to start your podcast.
There’s a lot of unexplored space in the podcasting industry. Right now, there are over 600 million blogs and over 31 million YouTube channels but only 800,000 podcasts in Apple Podcasts. With a gap to fill, here’s an in-depth breakdown of how to get started.
Finalize your concept.
Goals: Way before hitting record, ask yourself what you want your podcast to be about and why you’re starting it in the first place. This will help you finalize your goals which could be anything from generating leads for your business to being recognized as an industry leader or just for fun.
Theme or topic: Then pick your podcast’s theme or topic. Whatever you choose, just make sure you’re an expert in it and have the passion as listeners will be able to sense how knowledgeable and excited you are about your chosen theme. It’s also a good idea to do some research on podcast directories and see if there are already podcasts in your genre.
If there are, listen to a handful to get a feel of what they do well, how they could improve and what you’d change. If you think you can add something different or do it a little better then check if there’s enough for you to talk about. Try and come up with 15 or 20 different episodes before committing to make sure you actually have enough to talk about and won’t struggle for content ideas.
Name and description: Another big step is to name your podcast. Make sure it’s memorable, catchy and will rank for relevant keywords you’re targeting. It’s a good idea to brainstorm some potential names rather than regretting your choice later down the line. Apple’s best practices guide also states that your title should be specific and uses the title, author and description field for search purposes.
Oh, and try not to stuff your title with keywords. Even though you want to make it easy for people to find you, it’s probably a better idea to add a brief description in the title tag to help search results.
In the description of your podcast, go ahead and include as many relevant keywords as possible without getting carried away. This helps with SEO as many people who find your podcast will probably find it through a search.
Categories: Wherever you publish your business’ podcast, there will be loads of categories or subcategories to choose from. Choose one that best fits your theme and if you can’t find the exact one, don’t worry. Look at other podcasts similar to yours to check which category or subcategory they’ve selected.
Artwork: You’ll find a lot of tips for your artwork online. It does make sense during your preparation stages to create your artwork but as the podcast for your business is new, you might make some tweaks here and there. Changing titles and descriptions is fairly straightforward but unless you have an in-house Designer or you pay for this service, it can be a bit of a pin to change it regularly until you settle on one design.
If you’re happy with your artwork or you don’t mind tweaking it, then go ahead and create one. Neglecting this entirely isn’t a good idea as the most attractive looking podcasts are those which feature artwork that catches the eye.
Choose your format.
Format: When it comes to picking a format, there’s no right or wrong answer. It just depends on what your podcast is about. Some work well with a single host, others have multiple people at one time while others are interviews. You can even adopt a hybrid depending on what each episode is about.
Podcast length: Nobody can tell you how long a podcast should be. Some studies have found the average episode length was just under 42 minutes per episode while others argue they should be shorter to keep audiences engaged. It also depends on your industry, each episode’s topic, who you interview and how often you upload an episode.
If you have a lot to talk about in a popular industry and you upload once a month, it’s unlikely you’ll fit everything in a 10-minute episode. Have a look around and see what others are doing. A lot tend to be around the 20-30 minute mark while you have the likes of Joe Rogan whose podcast lasts for hours.
Again, don’t neglect to create snippets of your episodes so your audio content is much more digestible.
Schedule: Starting a podcast for your business is a big commitment if you want it to be a success. You might decide to publish one episode per day, a couple per week or maybe a few times a month. Either way, consistency is key as it helps you develop a connection with your listeners
When they know your schedule and know you’ll upload on time, they’ll put your podcast into their routine which builds a profound connection with them. It’s also a good way to create a habit for yourself. Recording them on a random day can make you less motivated but when it’s a habit and part of your schedule, it’ll help you grow your brand even more.
Now for the exciting bit – the equipment and software you’ll need to start recording your business’ podcast.
Equipment and software to begin recording.
In reality, you can start recording easily. You don’t need to invest thousands in equipment and you don’t need loads of experience. You can begin with just your smartphone and a pair of headphones. Although the content of your podcast is the crucial part, having superior sound quality takes it up a level and ensures people will stick around.
Location: Find the right locations. If the room is too big, you’ll have an annoying echo recorded which isn’t great. So the smaller the room, the better the acoustics. Also, have somewhere to sit or relax – the point of the podcast is to be casual and laid back. It’s also a good idea to add some soft furnishings to your room to absorb some of the noise.
Microphone: Get yourself a microphone. Just put it in front of you and your line-up then hit record. You can use this mic at events and for other types of videos as well. The only downside is you’re only recording one track with one device which means the loudest person wins. Also, multiple speakers at once can be a bit jarring for the listener.
Video: If you want to record video for your podcast at this level, make sure your set is presentable and your guests. If you’re not comfortable enough or don’t have the resources to start video, leave the cameras and publish on audio-only platforms. If you have presentable aesthetics, get your iPhone out and play around with the quality settings to keep the storage space to a minimum if you’ll record for 30 minutes or over.
To get your smartphone to stay pointed at your set-up, pick up a tripod with an adapter.
Software: If you’re at an entry-level, you can edit using Audacity which is a free software tool. You can record straight into this too.
Experienced.
Location: Now, you should have a nice room with a carefully-crafted setting. Maybe some posters on the wall and a few indoor plants. Most importantly, you have crisper room acoustics that don’t make voices sound echoey.
Microphone: Use an HD camera for the full shot of your set. Just a heads up, though, the quality of the image will be different to the main camera footage. It’ll make the final edit look a little messy so stick to one camera for now as 4K will let you scale closer to each speaker within the full shot without losing quality. It still gives the effect that there’s another camera and you’ll need a better-quality tripod as well to support higher-end cameras.
Software: Zoom Digital recorder has inputs for all types of microphones while also having an on-board microphone which is powerful enough. A microphone for each person appearing in your episodes is the better option.
Expert.
Location: If you’re at an expert level, you should already have the best room acoustics around with sound-absorbing foams if necessary.
Microphone: Depending on how many people are in your podcast per episode, have at least four condenser microphones. These mics have robust designs with ultra-sensitive pick-ups which makes voices sound like you’re in the room of the listener. These are better on arms which you can adjust to match to your mouth.
Software: You can then record your episodes using Adobe Audition as it gives you more power to edit and a smoother interface than Audacity. Although, you’ll need a subscription for this.
Cameras: To really spice up the final output of your podcast, set up multi-camera recording. Have a main camera with a full-shot as well as separate camera angles of each speaker to cut to so you can mix up the visuals.
Recording your business’ podcast.
Recording and editing is where it all comes to life. Even though it can be a long-winded process, don’t give up at this stage. Sure, it’s easy to lose momentum when things get technical or difficult, but it’s worth the effort when your business begins to see the results.
Even some of the best podcasts start off with a few bad episodes. You might be a natural and start on the right foot but if you need to find your footing and make some tweaks, then use that to make your next episode better. The more podcast episodes you record for your business, the more you’ll improve.
Before recording, make sure you have some sort of plan. That doesn’t mean hand everyone involved a script which they need to follow word-for-word. Instead, maybe come up with a topic outline and share with the relevant people so they’re at least somewhat prepared when you have a conversation.
USB: Plug directly into a USB port and select it as the audio input on your editing software.
XLR: Hook up your XLR mic into an external audio recording device which saves it all to an SD card.
Once you’re all set up, grab a drink and hit record. It’s handy to keep a glass of water or any other drink in arm’s reach in case your mouth gets a little dry and if your business’ podcast is a little more laid back, there’s no harm in showing you’re human on camera while having a drink rather than trying to make it too perfect.
Tying it all together in editing.
Now to put all of your hard work together. If you have a full-time editor in-house then they’ll already know how to edit everything. If you don’t or don’t want to bring on someone full-time in this role, you can look to outsource it too with your requirements.
By keeping all of your tracks separate, you can make edits to each track, adjust the volume, mute speakers and get rid of other mistakes. Plus, it just makes editing a lot easier in the future.
Another handy tip is to edit content for your first pass and then revisit it to work on any noise issues and other distractions. It’ll help you stay focused and gives you a chance to strictly look for audio issues once you have a second go at editing.
If you get some little pops or clicks in your finished audio, use the fade tool to remove unwanted noise.
Search for some jingles or music for your intro which will complete your podcast. The downside to royalty-free sound is other businesses may have used it for their podcasts so if you want something a little more exclusive, think about purchasing a track for your intro.
Once you have your episode ready, save it, export it in the correct format and you’re good t
Obviously, this is only a quick run-through the podcast editing process. There’s a whole lot more which goes through the editing, exporting and uploading processes. You need to think about the best platforms to publish your podcasts on. Also think of the small yet important intricacies like ID3 tags, show notes, submitting to platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and plenty of other directories.
Then there’s the actual marketing of your podcast. Creating a blog about the launch of your business’ podcast, producing content for each new episode, sharing it in your Facebook group if you have one. Anywhere where it’s not spammy is a great way to get your podcast’s name out there.
Hopefully, you have the tools and advice to get started. I’ll admit, it’s a lot to take in and probably quite challenging to try to do all of this yourself. The demand for podcasts is there so your business needs to give your audience what they want.
For an ecosystem that covers 70 percent of the planet, oceans get no respect. They feed us, provide most of the oxygen we breathe and protect us from the worst effects of global warming. Were it not for the oceans, climate change would have already made Earth uninhabitable.
How?
The oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of the global warming created by humans since the 1970s. Had that heat gone into the atmosphere, global average temperatures would have jumped by almost 56 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
But as vast as the seas are, there is a limit to how much heat they can absorb — and they are beginning to reach it. Conservation News examines some of the ways that climate change affects life in the oceans — and what that means for humanity.
1. Higher temperatures are bad for fish — and for us
Persistently rising temperatures are having cascading effects on marine life. Consider:
Warmer waters cause coral bleaching, which in turn impacts coral reef ecosystems that are home to a dizzying array of marine biodiversity — and provide crucial sources of food for people.
Warmer waters threaten to cause mass migration of marine species in search of the right conditions for feeding and spawning. For example, Conservation International research revealed that ocean warming is altering the habitats of tuna, causing them to move significantly to the east of the Pacific Islands.
This mass exodus could be catastrophic for the economies of many Pacific Island countries such as Fiji and the Cook Islands.
Change in water temperatures can directly affect the development and growth of most fish and cephalopods (such as octopus and squid).
For the 3 billion people who rely on fish as their chief source of protein, the prospect of fewer and smaller fish in the sea is bad news.
2. Polar ice is melting
In what has become a dismal annual pattern, wintertime Arctic sea ice continues to dip to new lows as the oceans warm. Meanwhile, Antarctica is shrinking underwater, as submerged ice is rapidly melting, according to recent studies.
The effects of this warming on iconic species such as polar bears are well-documented. Under the surface, though, the problem is no less urgent. Consider:
The production of algae — the foundation of the Arctic food web — depends on the presence of sea ice. As sea ice diminishes, algae does too, causing a ripple effect on species from Arctic cod to seals, whales and polar bears.
Dwindling sea ice results in the loss of vital habitat for seals, walruses, penguins, whales and other megafauna.
Sea ice is a critical habitat for Antarctic krill, the food source for many seabirds and mammals in the Southern Ocean. As sea ice has receded in recent years, Antarctic krill populations have dropped, resulting in declines in the species that depend on the krill.
What does this mean for us? Impacts to Arctic cod fisheries are having cascading effects, culminating in human-wildlife conflict and food insecurity. A dramatic decrease in sea ice — and seafood — pushes polar bears toward coastal communities and hunting camps to find food, bringing them into closer contact and potential conflict with people.
3. Rising sea levels represent a slow, seemingly unstoppable threat
Climate change poses a dual threat for sea levels.
For one, when land-based polar ice melts, it finds its way to the sea. (Ice that forms in polar seas, on the other hand, doesn’t affect sea levels when it melts.) Second, when water warms, it expands to take up more space — a major yet unheralded cause of sea-level rise.
With sea-level rise accelerating at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year, the effects on humanity are plain:
Higher ocean temperatures are melting polar ice and glaciers from the Greenland and Antarctic sheets at a rapid rate, resulting in an unprecedented rise of sea levels that has the potential to displace more than 680 million people living across low-lying coastal communities.
Recent research revealed that several major coastal cities could be almost entirely underwater due to sea level rise by the middle of the century, including Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Shanghai, China; and Mumbai, India.
The effects of sea-level rise on wildlife are less explored but no less important:
The survival of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses and other critical habitat-forming species hinges on their ability to move into shallower waters. Slow-growing species are most unlikely to be able to keep pace with the rising sea level.
Critical coastal habitats — for instance, sea turtle nesting beaches — are lost as the sea level rises. Natural and man-made barriers such as cliffs, mangrove forests, sea walls and coastal developments stand in the way of them migrating further inland.
4. Warming oceans alter currents
Climate change affects ocean temperatures as well as wind patterns — taken together, these can alter oceanic currents.
How does this affect wildlife?
As mentioned earlier, many marine species’ migratory patterns can change as the currents they follow are altered. And many species that depend on ocean currents for reproduction and nutrients will be affected. For example, reef-building coral and reef fish species rely on dispersal of their larvae by currents.
The impacts of changes in ocean currents on humanity could be severe, as currents play a major role in maintaining Earth’s climate.
For example, Europe’s relatively mild climate is maintained in part by the large Atlantic current called the Gulf Stream, which is experiencing an “unprecedented slowdown.”
Changing these currents will have major implications worldwide for the climate, including changes in rainfall — with more rain in some areas and much less in others — and fluctuating air temperatures. These changes have drastic implications for countless species, including humans.
5. Climate change is affecting the chemistry of seawater
The same burning of fossil fuels that increases greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, is also altering the chemical composition of seawater by making it more acidic. The ocean absorbs 30 percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — and when that carbon dissolves into the water, it forms carbonic acid.
How much does this affect marine life?
A lot.
Acidification can dissolve the calcium carbonate shells of marine species such as corals, scallops, lobsters and crabs, and some microscopic plankton that are a foundation of the food web throughout the ocean. These shell-forming organisms provide critical habitats and food sources for other marine life. Increased acidification can also limit the ability of certain fish to detect predators, disrupting the entire marine food chain.
The disruption and destruction of coral reefs and shellfish will have profound effects on humanity, chiefly in the form of less food for people who rely on the ocean for it.
The bird Kiwi is the national symbol and icon of New Zealand. The name of the bird – Kiwi comes from the language of Maori (indigenous NZ people). It means “hidden bird”. The association between Kiwis and NZ is so strong that often the word Kiwi is used to refer to the people of New Zealand.
Symbolize
The Kiwi appeared as a symbol for the first time in the middle of the 19 century when it is pictured on New Zealand regimental badges. During the First World War “Kiwi” was used as a byword for New Zealand soldiers. Nowadays the use of the word has spread so that it includes all New Zealanders.
Therefore for all the people who want to work, live and travel to New Zealand, it will be interesting to read some information about these fascinating birds. The national bird of New Zealand – the kiwis are one of the most ancient and unique birds in the world. Their natural habitat is the forests and jungles of New Zealand.
Kiwi Anatomy and Behavior
It’s easy to see why this strange little bird has captured the attention of so many nature lovers. New Zealand kiwi are part of a diverse group of largely flightless birds known as ratites, which includes some of the world’s biggest birds like ostriches, emu and the now-extinct New Zealand moa, as well as cassowaries, rheas and tinamous. But kiwi, of which there are five species (the brown kiwi, the great spotted kiwi, the little spotted kiwi, the rowi and the tokoeka) are among the smallest of the ratites, growing only up to 14-18 inches and weighing in at an average of four pounds full grown.
Everything about the kiwi is remarkable. Because of its strange anatomy for a bird, it is often compared more to a mammal. The kiwi’s body temperature is much lower than most birds. In fact, it has the lowest body temperature (around 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and metabolic rate of any bird. Also, like mammals and unlike other birds, their bones are filled with marrow.
The skin on their legs is leathery and their powerful legs make up a third of their weight. Comparatively, the skeletons of most birds are light and filled with air sacs to enable flight. Most birds have one ovary, but like a mammal, a female kiwi has two, with ovulation occurring in alternate ovaries. The chick emerges from an enormous egg. While an ostrich lays the world’s largest bird’s egg, it is actually the smallest in proportion to the mom at just 2% of her body weight. Kiwi eggs are six times bigger than other birds of the same size, taking up a whopping 20% of the mother’s body. Thanks to a super high composition of 65% yolk, kiwi chicks hatch fully feathered and independent, actually able to feed themselves.
While the majority of birds depend mostly on their sense of sight, the kiwi relies on its other senses more. It is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the tip of its bill—if these become blocked with dirt, it can even deliberately sneeze to remove any obstruction.
It has cat-like whiskers on its face and around the base of its beak that are incredibly sensitive—likely they have evolved to help this nocturnal bird feel its way through the dark. The kiwi’s sense of hearing is also a big way of how it moves through the world. Its ear openings are large and visible, and it will cock its head to direct its ear toward soft or distant noises. Their feathers are more like a shaggy soft pelt, and in the past, cloaks made out of kiwi feathers (known as ‘kahu kiwi’) were treasures reserved exclusively for tribal chiefs.
Kiwi bird Specialty
New Zealand’s national animal – the kiwi – is the only bird, which does not have a tail. Furthermore, during its evolution, it lost its wings and thus the ability to fly. In comparison with other birds, it has a very acute sense of smell, but not so well developed vision.
Kiwis are omnivorous and like to eat both small animals and plants. Another interesting fact is that among all birds Kiwis lay the largest eggs in relation to their own body size. The Kiwi’s egg can weigh up to 450 gr. (16 oz), which is almost one-fifth of the average weight of an adult female Kiwi bird.
Are Kiwis going extinct?
Most of the Kiwi subspecies are currently endangered. It is now believed that only 200 birds are left in the wild. There are many Kiwi conservation projects that are currently being run.
The largest one is managed by the Bank of New Zealand. There are five Kiwi sanctuaries currently created.
Two of them are in the South Island and three are in the North Island. Furthermore, New Zealand has introduced a strict system of pest management as a result of which the survival rate for Kiwis has greatly increased.
Journey to the Land of Glowing Skies
Many nature lovers are drawn to search for kiwi in wildlife reserves all over the country. But Stewart Island, a rugged granite island within Rakiura National Park 19 miles off the coast of Invercargill (New Zealand’s southernmost city) is by far the best place that one can see this shy creature in the wild. The island’s Maori name means “Land of Glowing Skies. Despite numbering 20,000 on the island, the kiwi is still an elusive creature to spot, meaning that planning a trip that includes an experienced guide is a must if you are serious about seeing this famous bird in its natural environment.
Kiwi are nocturnal, flightless animals that rely on burrowing. Unlike most other ratites, kiwi have four toes instead of two or three, and their massive, dinosauric feet mean they can move through their habitat practically silently, as their steps are muffled by fleshy footpads. While it is possible to spot a kiwi on your own, it is not probable. The best bet for those who want to see a kiwi in its natural habitat is to let the experts lead the way on a night hike (Nat Hab offers this 12-day adventure to the South Island that includes a night hike to spot the brown kiwi on Stewart Island).
If it feels like your life has been stuck in second gear lately, maybe it’s time for a career break. Also known as gap years for adults, it’s a great time refocus on what you want in your life and career (while traveling of course).
Life at work can be pretty stressful and it’s important to take the time off and hit pause on the responsibilities of adulthood. Despite what society seems to imply, while your job is a responsibility in your adult life, your job is not your life. Especially if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed in your career lately, taking a career break at 30 can give you a fresh perspective on what work/life balance really looks like.
Take the dive into career break travel and finally give that travel bug that’s been with you forever the time of day. Get in touch with your inner child and cross off a few items on the bucket list. A career break will help you learn to take risks and live fearlessly. Taking a gap year in your 30s or later is nothing to be scared of. Take a break from the mundane and embrace the spirit of discovery!
When it comes to taking a grown up gap year, you can do just about anything. Whether you want to start a business, study abroad, or teach, there are many companies that specialize in gap years for adults. Taking much needed time off would not only benefit your employer (we’ll get to this point later), but most importantly it’s you taking care of yourself and practicing self-care in the most memorable way.
Here’s everything you need to know to make your very own career break happen.
Adult gap year FAQs
Who can take an adult gap year?
If you thought a gap year was just a thing for college kids and twenty-somethings, think again! While your younger counterparts often take a gap year to learn responsibility, or about themselves, you are never “too old” to learn. The stream of opportunities doesn’t just dry up after you turn 30. People often ask when it is the best time to take a gap year in your 30s and beyond, and the answer is at any age!
Taking a career break is the new rite of passage that is ageless and genderless. Even if you have a spouse or children, there a plenty of career break programs designed with you in mind. You have no excuse not to go.
Where can I go on my grown up gap year?
Your radical sabbatical can happen just about anywhere! At home, abroad. We certainly like abroad. Teach English in China, volunteer at a French bed and breakfast, or grow a garden in Peru. The possibilities are endless and packed with amazing career break ideas
Most adult gappers opt for all those places on their bucket list they haven’t quite got to yet. While long train rides and relatively uncomfortable living situations might not seem attractive at first, you might get hooked on adventure and forego the churches and organized traffic of Europe for something a little more wild and unfamiliar.
Because of the variety of activities and programs available, you can visit most developed and developing nations. The only limitations you might see on places you can visit are for TEFL or teach abroad programs. This is due to some countries and not the programs themselves having an age limit for visitors over 50 to teach abroad. But take this with a grain of salt—your program is a great guide for navigating any limitations you might encounter abroad. Worst case scenario you can spend your year volunteering, teaching, or learning a language that is even more amazing than your first choice.
What types of activities are popular for a grown up gap year?
So. many. options.
Work abroad career break ideas
A career break but not a work break, how does this work? Easy, these career break travel organizations below offer roles that use your strengths to empower communities. These gap year for adults programs will take the “work” out of work and will immerse you in an environment that inspires instead of burning you out. Most of these positions in organizations like Outreach International and Volunteering Journeys assign you to global non-profit organizations for up to six months. Highly personalized, each gap year for adults program fit your skill set and interests (although going outside the box is encouraged!) Choose one of the many projects each program has to offer and go make a difference!
Recommended programs:
City Travel Review
Volunteering Journeys
Outreach International
Volunteer abroad career break ideas
Volunteering during a career break is a great way to experience a new culture and gain valuable skills that will look awesome on you return. For career breakers on a budget it can also make your year abroad a little less pricey. Some of these gap year for adults programs below pay for your room and board in exchange for your service. This career break travel activity also gives you the opportunity to meet other volunteers with similar interests. While everyone’s grown up gap year is a personal journey sharing new experiences with others is just another perk.
Recommended adult gap year volunteer programs:
Projects Abroad
Peace Corps
Cross-Cultural Solutions
Global Vision International (GVI)
Lead Adventures
Language abroad career break ideas
If learning a new language has been on your bucket list, cross it off with one of these language abroad programs. While practicing your dream language on Duo Lingo or Rosetta Stone are great and all, nothing beats being the immersive experience of studying in the native country. Regardless of how far in life or in your career you are, it’s never too late to learn and the experience will only benefit you in the long-run. While there is no promise you will become bilingual, your new level of fluency will make employers love you and make you an asset in your job back home.
Recommended language schools for adults:
Language Link
Maximo Nivel
Languages Abroad
Teach abroad career break ideas
If you’re looking from a change of pace from the corporate world teaching abroad is can be a great option for you. These opportunities often have flexible work hours so you can split your time between teaching and learning about your country. You can teach everywhere from Chile, to China. As a TEFL instructor you can leave lasting impacts on your student’s lives, teaching them English that will open doors and opportunities. Even though some of these trips require that you have a TEFL certification or a bachelor’s’ degree to start, teaching abroad is another opportunity to give back and having a meaningful grown-up gap year.
Recommended teaching jobs:
World Teach
LanguageCorps
International TEFL Academy
How do I budget for career break travel?
Gap years for adults can be pricey. The minute you know you want take your radical sabbatical start saving right away. Although the attitude behind a gap year in your 30s should be all carpe diem, your planning strategy shouldn’t. Make a budget for how much you think it will cost, and then create a savings plan to figure out how long you’ll have to save to make this a reality. Plan at least a year in advance your break, and save for at least six months’ worth of additional income for when you return.
Will a taking a career break at 30+ hurt my career?
The short answer is no. In fact, it can help you.
Gap years for adults allows you to gain life experience, which can build your soft and hard skills. Plus using your skills in a different environment can strengthen and diversify your problem solving capabilities. In addition to having cool stories to tell when you return or while you’re on job interviews, your new skills in global problem solving will stand-out at your next job.
But before you quit, check with your boss to see if your company will allow you to take an unpaid sabbatical. Explain to your boss all the benefits this career break will have and explain your intent to return after your break. Even if your company doesn’t usually allow its employees to take a year off it’s always worth asking.
If you’re still worried about taking a career break at 30, there are still ways to keep up on the latest industry news while you’re away. Read trade magazines and stay connected with your contacts back home. When you’re on the job hunt when you return, your network can help to possibly help to keep your search short. While it’s easy to stay in the know with the internet, reading up on your industry shouldn’t become an everyday activity. This radical sabbatical is far from a business trip. Focus on why you’re there and get the most out of your time away.
Next stop: a gap year in your 30s
The irony is that it’s not actually a stop. You’re alive! Go go go!
Returning from your adult gap year will have you feeling rejuvenated and like a major bad@$$! 😎
While a career break is the perfect time to catch up on z’s you’ve lost working late nights at the office, your grown-up gap year is more than leisure time. The whole point of having a career gap year is having the opportunity to refresh and refocus. Whether it is realizing you want a career change, learning a new skill, or revitalizing your passions; your time abroad is a chance to have memorable experiences and return a better you.
So don’t keep sitting at your desk thinking about when you’re going to take a career break, start planning on it. Gap years for adults are growing in popularity. So get with the spirit and get up and go!
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