THE FISHERS ENGINE OF SOUTH AFRICA [FESA]

 MAMRE-ATLANTIS FISHERS NEGLECTED BY FISHERIES DEPARTMENT [DAFF]

Date: 12 March 2015 

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries [DAFF]  – has once again neglected and disappointed the Fishing Communities of Mamre, Atlantis and Darling by not authorising them Fishing Access via the Bokbaai-, Lêbaai or Ganzekraal Area after The Fishers Engine of South Africa [FESA] has applied for access from the DAFF Minister, Senzeni Zokwana more than 5 months ago.

It has been precisely 5 months and two weeks since FESA has asked the Minister to authorise the use of the Bokbaai Area as a Launching Site for the Mamre-Atlantis Fishers. During the last few months – the only reply FESA has received from the minister was an acknowledgement letter indicating that this matter has been forwarded to the Office of the Director General, Edith Vries. Until date, no answer or progress on this issue has been sent from the Office of the Director-General. 

Mamre and Atlantis Fishers have to use the “Apartheid-set road to Yzerfontein” for Linefish- and West Coast Rock Lobster Catches, and some other launching sites are also used. Yzerfontein is the nearest legal Launching Site and FESA has made these bad economic conditions under which these fishers have to operate clear to the Fisheries Minister. Yzerfontein is between 42-44km away from Mamre (depending on the road taken) and with the distance to reach the fishing grounds, fishers can travel as far as 57km to fish. Depending on the engines used these fishers can spent between R1300-R1500 per fishing trip on petrol a day to lauch from Yzerfontein harbour (excluding their bait and other expenses). For the Minister to expect the poorest of fishers to spend between R1300-R1500 per day per fishing trip with Economically Unviable Exemptions (Interim Relief Programme Exemptions and Traditional Linefish Rights) is unthinkable, irresponsible and economically oppressing to these fishers and their communities. 

Then this same Fisheries Department, DAFF has closed the Dasseneiland Area (Bokpunt) for Recreational Fishing for the current season – which mean that these fishers are totally neclegted and excluded from fishing from their nearest suitable Fishing Area, which is the Bokbaai-, Lêbaai-, Ganzekraal Area. 

The FESA are of opinion that the part of Bokbaai Area that are so-called ‘private property’ – belongs to the citizens of this country as per its coastal status and the Constitution, the Integrated Coastal Management Act and the Bill of Rights. The FESA are in the process of rectifying this issue with other parties for the benefit of the Fisher People of Mamre, Atlantis, Darling and the rest of the citizens of this country. 

Earlier this week FESA has asked the Minister of Fisheries, the Deputy Director General of DAFF, Mortimer Mannya and the Director-General, Edith Vries to meet with them as soon as is possible to resolve this Launching Site Authorisation matter. 

A formal Complaint will also be lodged amongst others at The South African Human Rights Commission in due course to make fire under the minister and the Fisheries Department, DAFF. 

• Abigail Smith On behalf of The Fishers Engine of South Africa [FESA]
• Contact: 071 792 7032 or 078 748 0399

Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

The Institute for the Blind could soon face closure because of the Department of Labour pulling the plug on funding and Lotto contributions and donations drying up, which could result in the 530 blind and disabled people housed at the Institute’s facilities literally living on the streets if substantial financial help doesn’t come soon to help with annual costs of over R51-million a year.

The Institute only receives 15% of its funding from the State and the Institute’s fundraising department is solely responsible for raising the balance of 85% of the total costs (R43 641 186).

This is according to Freddie Botha, Executive Head of the Institute for the Blind, who says that the sudden unexpected loss of a subsidy from the Department of Labour, which the Institute has been receiving for the last 20 years of the new dispensation and many years before that, is a big blow to the Institute, which was established in 1881 to empower persons who are blind, partially sighted or deaf-blind, including visually impaired persons with additional disabilities; by means of offering education, training, development and care towards a fulfilled life.

The R51-million annual running costs includes R29-million training services costs, caring services and administration, and over R18-million towards operating costs of the Institute’s production units, which provide employment for blind and visually impaired people.  The Institute also subsidizes the Pioneer School for the Blind (R4.2-million per year) which serves the needs of blind, partially sighted and deaf-blind learners as well as learners with multiple disabilities from pre-school, primary and secondary levels with specialized education needs not catered for by mainstream academic institutions.

“Support from the State for this very specialised education has been totally insufficient,” says global adventurer and motivational speaker Hein Wagner, who attended the Pioneer School for the Blind from the age of five, and is the Blind Institute’s newly appointed Brand ambassador tasked with helping raising awareness of the services on offer, the capabilities of people with visual impairments (Wagner made history last year as the first blind person to participate in the treacherous Antarctica marathon) and help with raising the much needed funds.

“After a fierce struggle the Institute has received only a share of the subsidy and has to submit a new application of funding to the Department of Labour, with no guarantee that the Institute will receive any funding in future,” he explains.  He adds that the securing of funding from the State for the Institute’s tertiary training unit have also been unsuccessful.

There are 1.2-million blind/partially sighted people in SA. The Institute for the Blind is also the only organisation in South Africa that offers the full spectrum of care, training and integration into special production units for multi-disabled persons. According to Wagner, the Institute has a long waiting list of persons with visual impairments that aspire to engage in the Institute’s employment units and skills training projects.

97% of persons with visual impairments are unemployed in South Africa. “If the Institute did not avail employment opportunities at its production facilities to persons who are visually impaired, this unemployment percentage would be even higher,” says Wagner.

“The ultimate aim of the Institute is to provide gainful employment to unemployed persons who are visually impaired in the Institute’s production units making them less dependent on grants. This could save the State an enormous amount a year in grants if these people could work and the money could be used to provide more training opportunities for persons who are visually impaired.” Wagner points out that if the Institute is unable to provide employment through its production units and accommodation on the premises, these visually impaired persons will be literally standing on the street begging and their disability grants would be exploited by the people accommodating them.

“In addition, they would not receive skills training and medical care as currently offered gratuitously to them by the Institute,” he explains. “This training responsibility would therefore rest heavier on the shoulders of the Government which is not in the position to offer orientation and mobility training to persons with visual impairments, which would consequently lead to visually impaired persons being totally dependent on their families to care for them.” An emotional Wagner says that with Government support now being pulled the situation is ‘beyond desperate’.

“Another huge challenge for us is the fact that although the products made at the Institute are of a high quality, many inferior products are now being imported, especially from China, which has had a disastrous effect on our production and profits.” The fact that 97% of persons who are visually impaired are unemployed places a huge burden on the training facilities of the Institute to provide training to these persons from all over South Africa and Africa at a very low rate or even free of charge. Wagner says that the Institute is now reaching out to various international aid organisations for help in an effort to avoid closure.

Wagner, who earlier this month won the SA Championships Blind Tandem Road Race (with team mate Alwyn de Kock) says that there are many remarkable individuals that have been schooled and housed at the Institute over the years who are living proof that despite challenges, with the right help anything is possible. “However, the bottom line is that there is no hope without help,” he adds. As deaf-blind political activist/prolific author Helen Keller remarked: “The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them.”

For more information visit: http://www.blind-institute.org.za, on Twitter: @Institute4Blind or www.facebook.com/Institute-for-the-Blind

Tonya Khoury, the MD of media monitoring company, ROi Africa, is happy to update you on  the progress actor, Ivan Zimmermann, has made on the 12 000 km Tour d’Afrique.

“Yesterday it was one month since Ivan departed from Cairo on the Tour d’Afrique to raise 12 000 tins of food for Can-a-Kilo,” she says.   “Ivan is set to arrive in Cape Town on 9 May as part of the Leaders Never Quit campaign, which is supported by ROi Africa, the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and Sage Pastel,” she adds.  

Ivan said yesterday, “I arrived two days ago in Gonder, Ethiopia, as a broken man. The first shower I had in eight days could not wash away any weary emotions. It could only wash away the dirt from my sticky skin. I have now covered more than 3 000km of the 12 000km journey and so far I happen to be in third place overall.”    

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a dream that has become a reality. A dream that will test me to my limits, but also a dream that will show the world that leaders never quit,” adds Ivan.  

Ivan will be available for interviews on the following days:

12 Feb: Bahir Dar (Ethiopia)
18-19 Feb: Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
25 Feb: Yabelo (Ethiopia)
2 Mar: Marsabit (Kenya)
8 Mar: Nairobi (Kenya)
11-13 Mar: Arusha (Tanzania)
21 Mar: Mbeya
24 Mar: Chitimba Beach
To book an interview, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 012-643 0436.  

For more information on Ivan’s quest, go to www.ivanzimmermann.com.

Tins can also be donated to Can-a-Kilo tab on Ivan's website.

NAME: Tonya Khoury 

E-MAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CELL: 073 874 5377
WEBSITE: www.roiafrica.com
TWITTER: @tonyaroi / @roiafrica
FACEBOOK: /roiafrica    

Ergoform – a South African designer and producer of a full range of evolutionary office furniture – is the latest addition to the client portfolio of Lauren Shantall (Pty) Ltd.  

With showrooms in Cape Town and Johannesburg and fully equipped manufacturing premises in the Western Cape, Ergoform is an award-winning enterprise and one the most progressive manufacturers of office furniture in the country. Its success is due to owners Leon and Alice Roodt’s ability to anticipate changing corporate requirements and meet these needs with manufacturing excellence.    

The times are indeed a changin’, and so is the modern office. Workspaces are becoming increasingly flexible as communication tools become more and more mobile. Gone are the days where our desks are nailed to the ground - today is all about adaptability.    

Understanding the needs of the modern professional, Ergoform’s range of corporate furniture is not only mobile and easy to rearrange, but beautifully designed to blend into an ‘office-from-home’ setup too!    

Ergoform has a policy of continuously increasing its green manufacturing practices. The process starts with the design of new products, reducing material volume and eliminating materials that are harmful or potentially dangerous to humans. In addition, materials are sourced from certified and sustainable suppliers.  

Ergoform’s forward thinking, environmentally conscious approach makes it an excellent fit with Lauren Shantall (Pty) Ltd’s existing list of clientele, which includes interior design firm Inhouse Brand Architects, lighting design company Willowlamp, green and probiotic product producer Probio, and The Better Living Challenge.  

Lauren Shantall (Pty) Ltd is excited to welcome Ergoform on board, and looks forward to enriching the brand, developing new relationships and exposing Ergoform’s excellent products to a broader market.     

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY: Lauren Shantall (Pty) Ltd Contact: Tarn de Villiers 060 671 6091 Website: www.laurenshantall.com

Move over Usher, there’s a new swag master in town – Johannesburg born Hip-Hop dancer Tumi Trent Tladi has taken the International Entertainment Industry by storm with his unique dance moves. Now Tladi is hitting 2015 with a bang as he’s about to explode onto the music industry with his debut single CD and video album titled Punchline.  

The Music Video Media Launch will be held on Wednesday, January 28 at Cantare in Montecasino, Johannesburg at 7pm.   Tladi, 23, the son of one of SA’s leading Music promoters, Businessman and Entertainment guru Peter Tladi, teamed up with dancer Costa Titch, 20, to release this single directed by upcoming production team, Blvck Umbrella under the T.Musicman Label – which is part of Tladi’s father’s Joy of Jazz company.   Known for their vibrant dance moves Tladi and Titch - who have their own extraordinary style of choreography called Swimming Pool - have added live rap to their performance. Incorporating the skills of local rapper Moz Kidd, 17, Punchline has become one of the favourites at clubs and has found itself in the league of Chris Brown’s Loya and Kid Ink’s Show Me.

“This single is about making use of your entrepreneurial skills and how we use our talents as dancers and singers to make a living. One of the lines in the song is ‘we want your money’ – there is no shame in being honest and we hope to encourage others to do the same. Our music is motivational and we want young people to do the right thing and follow their dreams,” Tladi said. 

Tladi has also incorporated club DJ, The Vinyl Kid - Asad Abrahams into his music video to spice things up. "The Vinyl Kid" is also his Official Performance DJ.   Tladi, who is also an Ambassador for Adidas and Red Bull, has shared the stage with International Entertainment Greats. He stole the show while doing a music video for Hollywood actor and singer, Will Smith and actress Jada Pinkett Smith’s children Willow and Jaden in 2012. He has also performed with British singer Joan Armatrading and danced at the Idols SA 2011 as well as the MK Awards - performing as part of the coveted L.A Carnival.

A Choreographer who is dancing his way to the top, Tladi has the world at his tapping feet. His unique blend of South African style dance moves, fused with his International experience in the art, has earned him the respect and appreciation as one of the best Choreographers in the world.   The Public Music Video Launch will be on Friday the 6th of Feb, hosted by #HashTag Productions at Cocoon Lounge in Sandton.     To contact Tumi directly reach him on Twitter @tumitladi Facebook: Tumi Trent Tladi Youtube: Tumi Trent Tladi Instagram: tumitladi .

To attend the launch please RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For media queries, interview requests and access to high resolution publicity photos contact Dee’s on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (011) 788 7632   Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Tumi Tladi

Editor’s Note:   Tumi Trent Tladi started dancing at the age of 11 and received his formal training at DanceWeb Studios. He was trained, mentored and employed by Craig Bullock, CEO of DanceWeb. He made his debut as a dancer in a music video with television presenter Seipati Twasa’s on the popular Jam Alley. Tladi’s occupation and skills include: choreographer, performer, trainer, film projects, director and video editor.

Samsung Delivers e-Learning Solutions in Limpopo Three Limpopo schools set to improve their teaching and learning outcomes

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, January 27, 2015 - Samsung Electronics South Africa recently supported three schools in the Limpopo Province by delivering two Solar Powered Internet Schools (SPIS) and an e-Learning Centre (E-LC). These initiatives are in line with Samsung’s focus of contributing towards education in South Africa’s underprivileged communities through the power of technology.

The SPIS is a solar-powered, mobile and completely self-regulating classroom produced with the aim of increasing accessibility to education and connectivity in schools with restricted infrastructure. It is a 12-metre long, repurposed shipping container that can accommodate up to 21 students. Each SPIS is equipped with a 50-inch electronic board, Internet-enabled Samsung notebooks, tablets and Wi-Fi cameras, all of which are powered by a solar panelled roof that generates electricity from the sun, for up to nine hours per day.

One of Samsung’s SPIS beneficiaries is Mahwibitswane High School - a central school located in the Kopermyn region, rendering education to surrounding rural communities. Students and teachers at the school previously had to travel a significant distance to seek Internet services as the area is underdeveloped.

The SPIS received from Samsung has brought about increased accessibility to Internet services to the community at large. Though students and teachers at this school lack access to technologically advanced facilities, Mahwibitswane has been one of the best performing schools in the Kopermyn district. Samsung hopes that the SPIS will further improve learning outcomes by delivering impactful, student-centric learning experiences.

The second school to receive the SPIS was Tshikalange Primary, which is based in Guyuni Hamakuya Village, where 40% of the learners are orphans. Community members travel from Guyuni to Thohoyandou, which is an estimated 76 km trip to obtain Internet access and fax facilities. Teachers at Tshikalange have struggled for years to effectively develop educational projects, due to the lack of access to the Internet, but with the deployment of the SPIS, students, teachers and the community will now have access.

“The SPIS will assist educators and learners in participating and also engaging with other schools on various educational activities, set out by the Department of Education,” says Mr NG Nemukula, Headmaster at Tshikalange Primary.   “This new learning method will contribute to enhancing the teaching of the English language as a subject at our school, as it is the medium of instruction for most subjects.”

Bathokwa High School located at Skrikfontein was the recipient of a Samsung E-Learning Centre (E-LC). The E-LC smart solution will assist eager learners to enjoy new experiences within the technologically enhanced classroom.   The E-LC solution consists of 40 Samsung tablets, an air-conditioning system, a large format digital white board, Samsung school solution software, wireless connection points and a Freedom Toaster content kiosk that enables users to burn content onto USBs or CDs via an easy touchscreen interface.

The entire classroom is powered by the Samsung Smart Classroom software, which enables the teacher to share content, push learning material and monitor learner interaction and progress, whilst having full control over devices during a lesson.

Pitso Kekana, Head of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics SA, says: “Samsung aims to take learning to new digital heights. Not only is Samsung committed to giving students greater access to education but is also expanding the scope of learning. We are working with educators around the country to improve learning experiences through the use of technology, by facilitating a classroom environment that is limitless and gives students access to a world of knowledge from their desks and on the go.”

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion.

To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Steynberg
Andra-Lee Shimmin Epic Communications
Samsung Electronics South Africa
Tel: 011 784 4790 / 011 549 1627
Cell: 071 864 0266 / 082 553 2302
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In conjunction with CemAir, Kurland Hotel just outside Plettenberg Bay in the magnificent Crags, have created a unique Valentines opportunity for guests.

Return flights from Cape Town or Johannesburg to Plettenberg Bay, including all airport taxes and comp bar & snack on board.Included are complimentary transfers to and from Plettenberg Bay Airport, a bottle of Method Cap Classic on arrival, 2 night’s accommodation in an Elegant Suite including breakfast, available 1-28 February 2015, complimentary upgrade, if available, 3 course romantic private dinner for the 1 evening, a rose petal turn down and a 45 minute couples massage in the new Sanctuary Signature Spa.

The above is subject to availability and terms & conditions apply. R11, 470 per person sharing ex Cape Town or R12, 220 per person sharing ex Johannesburg.

For bookings contact 083 280 1160

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Discover the most romantic address on the Garden Route  

WINNING THE SEO LOGIC

I have a story to do with search engine optimisation and have been doing it since 1997 which is long before Google even existed. The story I am going to tell here is about my recent website and how I managed to get to the top of Google in one month and shows up today listed number 2 on Page 1 of Google.

WEB DESIGN COMPANY

We were a web design company. Two years ago, looking at Google trends, I saw that the demand for Web Design on the search engine was dropping fast. I then woke up to the fact that there is a proliferation of web design companies and in addition clients were also training their own staff to manage this role from their offices. With the introduction of fantastic technologies like WordPress and Joomla being able to create and update your own company website has become easy. Not so with search engine optimisation.

THE STORY

The question I asked was do I stay in the business of web design where every Tom, Dick and Vuzi are selling their service for a few measly bucks or get into something else. I decided to re-position my company but how and what to do? After much thinking I decided all I could do was related to the web and the technology behind it, I am too old to start again on a new career. For a while I thought that owning shopping cart websites was a way to go and bring in income over a spread of sites from Gift products to clothing stores. This is definitely something to look into as I have managed to turn over a certain amount of income but found it to be seasonal and more importantly it takes all of your time sourcing products and getting them delivered at reasonable costs, particularly since you can no longer trust the Post Office (do we still have one)? I still have an Ecommerce site but treat it more as a hobby even though it is in the top two listings on Google for its target market; it’s just that I don’t have the time to keep sourcing new products (all other sites offer the same thing).My next strategy was to then turn my Web Design company website into a SEO website offering services, some of which were unique. This is what I did but by the time I had finished re-branding and writing content after researching with a lot of friends (who were all trying to please me) I realised that the things I was saying did not have much or any resonance with them at all. I felt like I was talking to a brick wall (the site was too technical I reasoned).

THE ANSWER

Everyone has heard something about the power of video on the Web and how it is trending even on mobile. YouTube is South Africa’s second highest search engine. The future of video is bright and I predict as soon as the bandwidth issue has been resolved the Web will turn to video overnight! The cost of video has come down a lot too since the inception of really good quality HD equipment but the hosting is still very, very high. Typically in America to live stream you are talking about USD$50 per month which comes with restrictions like you cannot link the video to your own website. You actually need to pay $350 – $500 per month to get any kind of ownership as to what you can do with your video. Also what about the time lapse between America and South Africa the streaming has major bandwidth issues.Live streaming from South Africa is still in its infancy but the big guys like DSTV and SABC and others have been doing it for a while now. In fact they are gearing up for more as we see you can stream movies to your devices from these broadcasters. However I am talking about streaming out to the public from a company website not streaming in from an entertainment point of view.If you have a company and want to do brand promotion, conference, training sessions or product demonstrations you can reach thousands of people in the country and around the world using the power of LIVE video.

This is what I set out to do by re-positioning my company to a video broadcast company. I did this by aligning all our strengths, which were:

• Technology – can we leverage the technology we have or build it to offer live streaming?
• Video – can we build a mobile outside broadcast system?
• Video – do we have any experience in shooting films?

The story ends here in so far as we spent nine months developing what was required and were now ready to go live but we needed some hook to get us high on the search engines as this is the most important and cheapest medium we have to promote our new brand.

THE HOOK

After visiting Events companies to offer our services and after talking to our existing clients where we received warm receptions’ and best wishes we ended up with nothing. I decided to sift through the many uses on the web for live video and ended up with a very tight well defined market which was live wedding videos so your friends and family overseas can see you LIVE on your wedding day.  That was going to be our hook.

THE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION THAT WORKS

Last month in December I set out to totally re-position our website to Wedding Videos. So our search engine keywords which were, “web design South Africa” was changed to “wedding videos Johannesburg”.

I did all the keyword research I could and spent hours viewing competitor websites both here and overseas. It doesn’t just happen where you go after certain keywords and lambast the search engines with them. What you need to be able to do is to say something different while keeping your keywords in mind. What I have done that is different is to promote the Live Streaming aspect of weddings. There is much to say about that and all the information is different to what anyone else is saying, relevant to weddings.

That is the secret. Google has become very “intelligent” for a computer and understands so much about the content of a website and what it needs to look for when indexing and ranking you. It needs to be treated with the respect of a human being in order to have a meaningful relationship with it. Although the above sounds simple it is not. Your content must be relevant and that is the tricky part, keeping it relevant in my case to the goal of “wedding videos Johannesburg” as opposed to “live streaming videos”.

Now Google indexes your pages all the time and publishes your links on whatever page it deems fit but every so often it does a major re-shuffle (Google dance is not dead) and at the time of writing this started on Google yesterday 13 January 2015 (maybe a day or two sooner).Prior to this shuffle we had our pages on page two of Google like we had ALL of five links at the bottom of page two. Today (this may change over the days) but www.epnet.co.za is appearing number 2 on page one of Google for “wedding videos Johannesburg”.

We feature as well for many other keywords like wedding video prices, etc. So the whole job was done in one month and we now have one of the most powerful mediums promoting our brand without wasting time and money on AdWords, Social Media, links to other sites or anything else. The lesson I have learned to getting ranked high on search engines is create ONE set of keywords that you MUST get ranked for and build in the others during your journey of writing your content. Your other keywords will also feature highly as long as you are STRONG on the one approach.

You will only be strong for the one set of keywords if you are different from your competitors and the one set of keywords will strengthen all the other words you want to be strong with. You must also have a different story to tell. Simple logic does the trick. By the way we also feature very strongly on Google for live web streaming, as a spinoff and is where we also want to be positioned. 

Tonya Khoury, the MD of ROi Africa, the media monitoring and intelligence company supporting actor Ivan Zimmermann’s conquest to collect 12 000 cans of food for each of the 12 000km he travels, says Ivan has entered Sudan today after successfully completing his trip through Egypt on a bicycle!

“It’s gone well so far, but I am fully aware that I have very difficult days ahead with the extreme heat, but I also know #Leadersneverquit!” he says.

Zimmermann departed on the Tour d’Afrique on 9 January in Cairo and is expected to arrive on 9 May in Cape Town. For more information on Ivan’s quest, visit www.ivanzimmermann.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

NAME: Tonya Khoury
E-MAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
CELL: 073 874 5377
WEBSITE: www.roiafrica.com
TWITTER: @tonyaroi / @roiafrica
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/roiafrica