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How Technical Communication is Impacting the E-Commerce World

Written by adminAugust 7, 2019

Technical communication is extremely important in our everyday lives. We live in what’s called the information age, and as technology continues to advance, it’s great to have people who can take complex information most people wouldn’t understand and translate it for the average layperson. Technical communication is the means by which technical writers take information and document it in a variety of ways.

What you see when you get online is technical communication as you receive information by surfing the web, listening to music, reading text, watching videos, and any other means by which you receive information. Essentially, someone is communicating to you through a process using technical communication.

Definition of Technical Communication

When you have a variety of information that you need to make available the people, whether they are students, employees, or customers, is the job of the writer to relay the information needed by means of technical communication. They are transferring information usually through training manuals, guides, packets, videos, interactive training, data sheets, textbooks, and all other forms of documents in a manner that is understandable to the reader.

Scope of Technical Communication

Since we live in what is considered the information age, technical communicators are highly sought after in a variety of important industries. Everything from entertainment to workplace regulations for all shared by means of technical communication. As we become more technologically advanced, we will find ourselves relying even more on this form.

Technical Writing or Technical Communication

It can be fairly easy to mix up technical writing with technical communication. There can be technical writing as part of technical communication with the two terms are not necessarily the same, as technical communication refers to a much broader form of communicating than just technical writing.

Technical communication is essentially any type of communication that takes place in a professional manner. For example, when to colleagues send emails to one another, that’s a form of technical communication. So, while all technical writers can be considered as a technical communicator, there are other ways to do.

If you have a group meeting with your colleagues in an office setting where you exchange ideas, that too is considered a technical communication. One employee your hands an employee handbook to a new worker, that’s technical information is he sharing with work exactly the information he wants them to know.

Jobs within Technical Communication

As noted in the point above, technical communication can be done by almost any means as to professionals communicate with each other. But if speaking about the technical domain specifically, then you would most assuredly find jobs in the electronic world heavily revolving around technical writing and other forms of highly complex technical communication.

Usually work revolving around science, information, economy, marketing, consumers, and technology all involve technical communication, but the subject matter in each field may differ depending on the career of the individual. A lot of technical communication also is displayed from the manufacturer to customer or from employer to employee relating to specific information in the context of teaching or informing.

Written by adminAugust 7, 2019

Business

If you have an Instagram account, you might use it to share photos of your dog, your kids, and follow up on what your favorite celebrities are doing. And what they’re wearing. Leave it to any industry to find a way to use a photo sharing app to market their wares. That’s exactly what many industries are doing, including many big brands.

Many influencers are making their way onto Instagram, and this leads to those big brands looking for an opportunity to sell more products. The app is quickly adopting new ways of becoming an actual force to be reckoned with when it comes to sales. It’s a LONG way off from ever competing with Amazon, but Instagram has some advantages Amazon doesn’t have.

Many experts are seeing trends within Instagram of a soon-to-be booming sales industry. The same experts missed the signs many years ago when Amazon was raising and I don’t want to miss it again. So, they’re looking to Instagram as potentially the next big thing in sales and Instagram itself is taking notice of this trend.

Back in March, the app added a new ‘checkout’ option that enables users to buy products directly from companies and their Instagram account. Before this latest addition, the user would be forced to leave the app to make a purchase on a different website. This is really changing how influencers and businesses are changing Instagram.

How Companies are Using Instagram

Kylie Jenner is one of the biggest influencers on Instagram. She has become one of the world’s youngest billionaires by using Instagram as a launching point to help sell products. As of this writing, she has 142 million followers. One of Kylie’s latest posts shows her holding a designer bag and talking about how much she loves it, is clearly an advertisement to the trained eye.

There’s no doubt Kylie was paid a lot of money for that endorsement. When people see her with that bag, they will want it themselves and they can buy it directly through links placed on her Instagram. Wouldn’t you love to see your favorite celebrity wearing something and have the ability to buy it with a single click?

We’re not talking about the stunning Oscar dresses the average person cannot afford. This is the everyday stuff celebrities are wearing and taking pictures of themselves doing normal, routine things. And if you think it’s adorable, you’ll click the link and buy it. This is experiential marketing taken to the next level.

“What the internet hasn’t been particularly good at is solving for discovery and window shopping,” said Andrew Lipsman, analyst at eMarketer. “Instagram is starting to help fill that need for shoppers.”

“Our consumer spends a ton of time on Instagram,” said Emily Maxey, vice president of marketing at Adidas. “The consumer is using Instagram to research our products, connect with friends to get recommendations about our products, and ultimately buy.”

“It’s early days for shopping on Instagram, but we’re excited about this over the long run,” Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said. Facebook currently owns Instagram, so they know a thing or two about how to use an app for marketing purposes. Most companies employ a bit of Facebook marketing with their other forms of advertising. Instagram will now be another source of revenue going forward.

Written by adminAugust 6, 2019

Business

If they decide to unleash this weapon, the US could face severe repercussions.

There is one weapon that China should refrain from using in the escalating trade war with the US. One that could have significant blowback not just on the US market but also their domestic market.

The doomsday scenario is when China decides to start selling Treasuries which is what they currently use to benchmark their currency the yuan. Kit Juckes, strategist at Societe Generale says that would be the ultimate weaponization, after China shocked financial markets on Monday by devaluing the yuan.

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Trading blows

This devaluation came on the heels of Donald Trump announcing 10% tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods on September 1. The US Treasury Department also labeled China as a currency manipulator.

In some circles on Wall Street, China’s currency manipulation was labeled a weaponization. As they are currently the largest holder of US debt at $1.1 trillion, any amount of dumping could send US interest rates through the roof. Putting it simply, the higher the supply of Treasuries on the market, prices go down, yields go up.

As a result. the higher interest rates would naturally raise borrowing costs for the US and negatively impact its investment grade credit rating.

On the flip side, China would probably see a flight of capital out of its domestic markets, leading to higher borrowing costs and a credit rating downgrade as well. All in all, it would be a no-win scenario for all parties involved.

Unlikely Moves

Juckes mentions that headlines involving China’s US Treasury pile are inevitable, but it is most likely that they would stay with it’s current Treasury holdings. Two reasons support this theory, one being that China has nowhere to put the cash it raises by selling US debt.

The other reason is that it would not be in China’s best interest to create global market instability at a time when it is trying to be taken more seriously by the rest of the world.

Possible Solutions

As the US-China trade war escalates to a currency war, the US Treasury’s next step is to enter negotiations, either directly with China or indirectly through the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Senior China Economist Julian Evans-Pritchard theorizes that China is unlikely to come to the table to engage with the IMF, which will probably lead to US-China relations souring even further.

What will probably end up happening is Trump placing more and more tariffs on Chinese imports, and China retaliating with more currency depreciation. It’s unlikely that a solution will arise anytime soon.

Written by adminAugust 5, 2019

Technology

As we get better at developing our technology, the more we rely on robots to fill human jobs. It may be great for companies looking to cut their spending, but it comes at the expense of real humans who need jobs to survive. Not only are U.S. workers losing jobs as factories shut down and move across the border where labor is cheap, they’re also losing them to robots.

On Wednesday, Oxford Economics shared a new report that says robots are expected to take as many as 20 million U.S. jobs in the next decade. That’s about 8.5% of the total manufacturing jobs out there today. This can be bad news, but it also shows a shift towards a more technological dominated industry.

In some areas, the take over of robots does create additional jobs in the tech center. Someone has to design, program, and install these robots in factories across the country. There will need to be repairs and tune-ups. So, jobs in this sector will expand, but it will cause some hurt. Many Americans are laborers who aren’t tech experts and they will have nowhere to go with their skills.

When you start displacing millions of workers, that creates a vacuum. Suddenly, whole towns die where workers relied on that often fairly good paycheck while the business gets to carry on making their products. We’ve seen this happen in the rust belt plenty of times in the past few decades. Ask Detroit and Flint what happens when industries pack up and leave, replacing all their workers with cheaper labor.

It’s Not a New Thing

Robots in industry aren’t a new thing. Back in 2016, 43% of all the robots in the world worked within the automotive industry. But now a new problem is arising. Robots are getting smarter and cheaper as we get better at making them. The average price of a robot has fallen around 11% in the last 5 years. They keep getting better at doing mundane tasks.

China is one place where automation is on a significant rise. They already have one-fifth of the world’s robots working in their factories. “China is investing in robots to position itself as the global manufacturing leader,” Oxford Economics said. By 2030, China hopes to be the world leader in robot manufacturing.

Income Inequality

While robots will certain give a boost to productivity (robots don’t need a day off or take sick days), and they’re cheaper than hiring a worker (robots don’t need a salary or benefits), it causes a major economic problem. Again, look at Detroit and Flint. GM and the other major car manufacturers shot themselves in the foot in a major way.

When you fire all your American workers in favor of cheaper labor, suddenly you have many less customers who are unable to afford your products. The businesses get richer by lessening their labor costs, but what happens when 20 million Americans lose their job in the next decade? That’s 20 million people looking for new work.

“This great displacement will not be evenly distributed around the world, or within countries,” according to the report. “Our research shows that the negative effects of robotization are disproportionately felt in the lower-income regions compared with higher-income regions of the same country.”

“Automation will continue to drive regional polarization in many of the world’s advanced economies, unevenly distributing the benefits and costs across the population,” the report said.

Written by adminAugust 5, 2019

Politics

In an escalating trade war, nobody wins until a deal is done and the war is finished. There are casualties on both sides as both Pres. Trump and China’s President Xi continue to trade blows in an attempt to declare victory over the other. The problem is, China and the United States are both two of the world’s largest economies. This isn’t settling well with the rest of the world.

After Pres. Trump threatened to add new tariffs on Chinese goods, Beijing responded in a way that shows that they will not take this lightly. As Americans woke up this morning, the Dow futures were tanking upon news that China was going to allow their currency to sink to a new historical low. They are also telling state-owned companies not to buy U.S. agricultural products, signaling that the uneasy truce declared a few weeks ago is now over.

By lowering the value of the Chinese Yuan, it makes Chinese goods much easier to buy from foreign countries because those products are much cheaper. This is really one of the main areas of attack for China, as the United States dollar is one of the strongest currencies out there. That means more people are going to be buying Chinese products because they’re cheaper.

Recently, Mexico took the place of China is our country’s top trading partner. The number of imports we have coming from China has fallen about 12% at the start of the year. That means we’re buying less Chinese goods. The Pres. Trump is not happy about what he calls “currency manipulation.” It’s these tactics that have forced him into fighting this trade war to begin with.

“China dropped the price of their currency to an almost historic low,” Trump tweeted on Monday. “It’s called “currency manipulation.”

New Tariffs

Despite receiving many objections from his own advisors, Pres. Trump announced that he would place a 10% tariff on all remaining Chinese goods beginning September 1. Even stated that he could do much more than he is when it comes to placing tariffs, threatening that he could go from 10% to 25% or higher. He’s already backed up his threat by placing a 25% tariff on over $250 billion worth of Chinese goods, escalating the matter further.

One weakness China knows the US has is the impact of the trade war on our agricultural products. Our farms have taken a major blow, forcing the government to send billions of dollars in aid to our struggling farmers. A wetter than average spring also forced many farmers to get a late start on planting, if they even got a chance to plant at all, which will only add to the chaos come harvest time.

This is probably why Beijing also ordered state-owned companies to stop buying US agricultural products. This puts even more pressure on the system. China used to be the largest buyer of US soybeans, as much a 70%. But soybean imports to China have fallen 97% since the start of the trade war.

“China has strategically gamed the tariffs by slashing their prices and by devaluing their currency,” White House trade advisor Peter Navarro told “Fox News Sunday.”

“Since the tariffs were put in place back in 2018, the Chinese yuan fell by almost 10 percent, so they have offset virtually all these tariffs and the consumers are not seeing any price hikes in any significant way … We could have a bigger question about whether tariffs, in general, might cause rising consumer prices, but not in this case.”

Written by adminAugust 5, 2019

Car Insurance

No matter what each of us pay each month for our car insurance, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume most of us think were paying too much money. These car insurance companies do whatever they can to keep raising rates and make it even more expensive for you to drive a car. In many places, people are spending $200 to $300 a month. That’s a ridiculous amount of money.

Worst part about it is that a lot of states require you to have insurance to drive. That means you have to take the situation sitting down. There are several options out there that you can look into to help make your insurance cheaper. Let’s take a look at four of those ways to see if they can help you or your monthly bill.

1) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Discounts

Many insurance companies offer discounts. They won’t just come out and tell you what those discounts are, unless they use them as a marketing tactic. But you never know if there are certain discounts hidden from you unless you ask for them. For example, if you have a great driving record, and companies might want to offer a discount. They don’t believe you’ll be accident-prone and will reward you for your good driving.

2) Consider Packaged Deals

Yes, and a package deal you’ll end up paying more overall. But if you also need to get renters insurance, you have other vehicles that need insurance like a boat, or you need insurance for your home, many places will offer a discount to combine all your needs into one basket. Many of the top insurance companies like Progressive, Geico, and Allstate provide many different types of insurance. So, if you have additional need, don’t be afraid to combine it with your car insurance for a discount.

3) Don’t Forget to Check Back in Periodically

When you get car insurance when you’re young, it works a lot like credit. You’re not trusted enough just yet. In fact, you’re seen as an experienced and more accident-prone. As you get older, you might find your insurance starts to get a cheaper. That’s because as you get older, you become a better driver and the chances of you having an accident starts to drop. Once you hit 25 or so, you had close to a decade of experience and that should really help to lower your rate.

4) Take Public Transportation

You may consider this point extreme, but if you’re really struggling to afford paying your car insurance, get rid of the car! Of course, we don’t want to do this. We enjoy our independence and being able to go wherever we want whenever we want. Still, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says that overall driving is down for millennials. Back in 2014, 69% of 19-year-olds had a license. Back in 1983, the number was near 90%. That means the number of overall drivers has fallen over the past few decades. If you’re struggling with high rates, put away the keys for a while.

Written by adminAugust 5, 2019

Business

President Trump slams China early Monday morning for allowing the yuan to tumble below a key level.

In a Twitter post, Trump called it “currency manipulation”. He continued, “Are you listening Federal Reserve? This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time!”

Trump’s remarks lambasting China come after the yuan was weakened past seven per US dollar for the first time in over a decade. This was speculated to be in apparent retaliation to Trump escalating the trade war. Global equities fell as the yuan tumbled further.

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In an unprecedented move last week, Trump announced that he would be slapping a 10% tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods starting September 1. This was after representatives from both countries met for in-person trade talks for the first time in months.

In previous years, the People’s Bank of China would step in to prevent the yuan from dropping below the psychological level of seven per US dollar. Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist for Capital Economics opines that the PBC was being mindful of the headlines that it would create on previous occasions. But this week’s retaliatory move might indicate that China is losing patience.

A weaker Chinese yuan would make goods from the country cheaper and more attractive to foreign buyers. This would exacerbate the divide of the US trade deficit even further. In recent months, Trump has demanded that the Federal Reserve devalues the US dollar to make America more competitive with other countries who he accuses of unfairly devaluing their currencies against the US dollar.

Trump has petitioned the Federal Reserve to lower the benchmark interest rate to weaken the dollar’s relative valuation. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell hit back saying that US central bankers “certainly do not target the level of the dollar and that the Treasury Department is responsible for exchange rate policy – full stop.”

During the course of his term, Trump has repeatedly accused China for allegedly undervaluing its currency and labeled the country a currency manipulator. Earlier this year however, Trump backtracked on those opinions and decided not to label China or any other country a currency manipulator, but placed the country on his watch list for potentially unfair currency practices.

In a statement released Monday , the People’s Bank of China denied any intentional weakening of the yuan as retaliation against the trade policies of the US. They went on to say that “they would not engage in competitive devaluation or use the exchange rate as a tool to deal with external disturbances such as trade disputes.”

Written by adminJuly 31, 2019

Student Loan Consolidation

How far would you go to get your child into college? Most parents start planning for college when the child is born. They might open up a savings account and set aside a little money every month to help ensure that their kid is ready to go once they grow up. It might also apply for scholarships and grants, depending on what their financial status is.

It was recently discovered, in light of the Hollywood college scandal, but many parents are willing to go really far to help get their kids into college and taper down a lot of the expenses that goes along with it. In fact, many parents are willing to divorce themselves from their children, which is what some wealthy families in Illinois have been doing to cut down on the cost of paying for their children’s education.

They make too much money for their kids to apply for certain scholarships and things like Pell grants. In order to get around that and the claim money, these parents were giving up legal guardianship and even transferring legal custody to other relatives. They did it so that they can claim they make substantially less money so they qualify for these grant programs.

By transferring custody, usually completed by the junior year of high school, the students then can claim that they are either financially independent or that their legal guardian doesn’t make a lot of money. One student was able to claim that they made only $4,200 from a summer job while she lived at home with her parents in a $1.2 million mansion. The student was able to rake in $47,000 in grants and scholarships.

Is It Legal or Is It Fraud?

Technically, this isn’t considered fraud. It’s not even illegal to do. What business is it of any college to question who the legal guardian is of any student? The students want to become financially independent or parents want to transfer custody, it’s really their right to do that from a legal standpoint. That doesn’t mean it’s an ethical thing to do.

“It’s a scam,” Andy Borst, the director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told ProPublica. “Wealthy families are manipulating the financial aid process to be eligible for financial aid they would not be otherwise eligible for. They are taking away opportunities from families that really need it.”

All it takes for a judge to agree to a transfer legal guardianship is when all parties agree. The new legal guardian, the parents, and the children will all get together and decide this is what they want to do. Any laws regarding this transfer guardianship are extremely broad, which doesn’t make it illegal to do in order to show your making less money.

After the Hollywood admissions scandal, these types of stories are seeing the limelight more and more. We’re beginning to see all the different ways that wealthy families are skirting the rules. These are the people who could most afford college tuition, they’re taking federal grant money from people who actually need it.

Written by adminJuly 29, 2019

Saving

Whether you’re ready for it or not, we are quickly approaching the end of the summer season. As we get close to the start of August, were only weeks away from many schools across the country ringing the bell and ushering students back into their halls. That makes right now back-to-school season as we begin to see many ads start popping up on our TV and Internet.

Many families have a difficult time facing back-to-school expenditures. This time of year is second only to Christmas in terms of major family needs and buys. The National Retail Federal is estimated that parents will spend on average around $696 per child going back to school. If your child is enrolled in sports, that number can easily push past the $1,000 mark and even broach $2,000.

Just like the cost of college tuition, back-to-school costs are constantly inflating. School supplies and clothing continues to get more expensive. After a nice relaxing summer, the last thing parents want to do is be barrage with the number of ads telling them that summer is about over. They began sweating over the amount of money they know they have to fork out.

To make matters worse, a lot of teachers are beginning to ask students to take on larger needs. Their budgets are small and schools are running out of money, so they rely on parents to supply various items, making the cost of back-to-school shopping that much more expensive. Let’s take a look at five ways that you can save money on back-to-school shopping.

1) Look Around the House

You can save money by doing a simple supply sweep around your home. You might have a pack of folders or notebooks hidden in a desk drawer somewhere. Maybe you have a storage bin full of hidden treasures that will help you from spending money on things you already have. This is also a great time to go through your child’s clothing. See what close they have and what they’ve outgrown over the summer. As much as they want brand-new name brand stuff, there’s no point supplying them a brand-new wardrobe just because it’s the start of a new year.

2) Do a Supply Swap with Family and Friends

If you’ve taken the time to pull out all the extras that you have around the house, maybe get together with family and friends who also have kids going back to school. Even if they don’t have kids, they might have extra reams of paper or a box of pencils or stack of notebooks that they’re not using. You might have something extra that they need and it will be worth the swap to save you both money in the long run.

3) Thrift Stores and Garage Sales Will Save You

You never know what you’ll find that a thrift store or garage sale. These places can hold all kinds of treasures and back-to-school supplies. You might find new clothing, backpacks, or other supplies that you’ll need. Your child might not want gently used stuff, but that’s because they have no concept of a budget and they’ll have to live with what they get. No one has to know that what they’re wearing for the supplies they’re using was bought at a thrift store or garage sale.

4) Go to the Dollar Store

Dollar stores often have amazing deals on things you need. It is not just a place for party supplies and cheap stuff anymore. You can get notebooks, pencils, Kleenex, sanitizers, pens, and so much more at a dollar store for much cheaper than you’d find in a department store.

5) Tax Holidays Are a Thing

You may not know about this, but many states have what are called tax holidays. Tax holidays are allowed so that shoppers can buy things without having to pay an enormous sales tax on top of it. You should do your research and find out when your state holds the tax holiday. Many states have one of the first week of August or maybe the last week in July. These tax holidays help shoppers for the back-to-school season. This is when you should make your larger purchases, like if you need to buy a computer.

Written by adminJuly 26, 2019

Saving

Already have a 401(k) but looking to retire earlier?

This is where Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) come in. Sure, you may not be allowed to save as much, the max amount you’re allowed to save for 2019 is $6,000 till you’re 50, then it increases to $7,000.

Based off your income and some other pre-qualifications, you can choose to either start with a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA. The Roth IRA requires you to deposit after-tax money to get more benefits at retirement, whereas for the traditional IRA you get the tax deductions immediately. You can own an IRA in addition to your 401(k), with deductions dependent on various IRS rules.

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Savings Plans for the Self Employed

There are 4 retirement savings options favored by the self-employed. Some are IRA-based like the Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA and the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRA. These plans are funded by tax-deductible employer contributions and pre-tax employee contributions.

Other options like the Keogh Plan and Health Savings Account (HSA) are funded with pre-tax dollars and grow tax-deferred over time. Creating a retirement strategy is paramount because there is no one looking out for your retirement but you. That’s why you should be paying yourself first.

Government Assistance

It’s important to know that with every 401(k) or traditional IRA contributed dollar, the government lowers your taxable income for that year. The tax deferral is an incentive to you to save as much as you can for retirement.

Setting Up Automatic Deposits

The simplest way to avoid the pain of saving each pay period is to set up automatic savings with your bank. By getting a certain amount deducted each pay period, the money is gone before you receive your paycheck. It’s a lot easier to have the money locked away before you are able to access it than have to fight the temptations to spend it on payday.

Looking to Retire Early

If you are not able to max out your 401(k) or IRA savings every year, what you have to do is figure out how much money you will need in retirement and actively work to reach that goal.

Tax-advantaged accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs have strict and complex rules for withdrawal before a certain age and aren’t too helpful for a person looking to early retirement. In addition to saving extra, consider a regular savings or brokerage account.

Even if you’re looking to retire at 55, you will still need to cover living expenses until you can withdraw from your 401(k) at 59½ without incurring penalty fees. Having additional savings and investments is therefore crucial for an early retirement and is a big reason why you need to save more than the recommended 10% of your income for retirement.

Starting Today

When it comes to saving for retirement, take into account the 4% rule to figure out how much you will need per year of retirement. Don’t become a retiree that struggles to get by, save more than 10% of your income today.

To get started preparing for your golden years, give us a call. The Financial Helpers are ready to assist you.

Call Now 844-332-2079

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