TUTORIAL

ADD AN ARTICLE

GUIDE FOR GREAT ARTICLES

To create great content, you need to choose a subject, try to find a fun anecdote to write about, is easy to write when you like the topic you are writing.

Write your article

Ten tips to find inspiration

  1. Have a topics list
    The topic is the first step and is going to help you write the rest. Write down a lists of topics you will be interested to write about. Draw idea from your experience: how you find a job, your first thoughts about Australia, etc. Think about who you were before you arrive in Australia and who you are now then ask yourself what made you who you are today. Once you have this, just tell us!The topic will be your red lead and will help you to organise your thoughts.
    Having a topic will automatically inspire you to pour out the words.
    Always be specific.
  2. Borrow Ideas From Other PeopleDon’t steal content! But read to find your own ideas and voice. All your work should be 100% yours. That being said, you can get great ideas reading other people’s work. After reading, you can elaborate where they did not, get inspired by a similar topic. Most ideas do not need complete reinvention. Most ideas just need a little inspiration.
  3. Bullet PointsPeople have thousands of distractions to choose from every day. Since you have a short time to capture their attention, you can keep it uncluttered with lists. Why do lists work so well? They keep information concise, they attract the eye, they help with compression, they make points stronger and more urgent
  4. Write In An Editor ProgramIf you need to edit frequently before you publish, save yourself the time and write the article in the editor. It may seem straightforward, but having a program automatically spell checking and looking for errors saves you a lot of time.
  5. Pictures Say a 1,000 WordsUse cool pictures to make your article more fun, for example, if you’re writing about a trip you took to the zoo a picture of you with a Koala is the right way to go.
  6. Get ExcitedExcitement over a subject is the best way to let the “ink flow.” If you are excited about what you are writing, the session will fly by quickly. So choose a subject you feel passion for.
  7. Block Out The WorldYou can’t write quickly if your phone is getting notifications. If you take the time to devote your attention to your article, you will have more time for the funnier things in life. Remember what mom said, “You can’t go outside and play with your toys until you finish your homework!”
  8. Stop Overthinking ItSimple is smart. Quick is good. Don’t try to turn your article into something it isn’t just to make it different or longer. The best ideas genuinely can be the simplest ones.Just go for it, free your flow. It will be more efficient to work from an average first draft rather than an empty page.
  9. Think “insights”What are people talking about? What happened to you that can make people feel related. This is an important part of content writing; you must make your audience feel like “I been there” or “that could be me”. For example, if I tell you about that time I was looking for a Burger King and I couldn’t find it until someone told me the name is Hungry Jack’s, you probably going to feel related, because it happened to you.
  10. Keep A Pad With You At All TimesIdeas strike anywhere. While writing this article, I had a few ideas for the video guideline. I took a quick moment to write them down on the pad beside of me.And that’s it; now you are ready to bring your life to words.Read a lot and think a few ideas!

Structure your article

Your article should include:

  1. A title
    Find something catchy
  2. A quick intro
    Your article should start with a quick intro of 2-3 ligns. In this intro, explain the situation and quickly introduce the content of your articles.
  3. Sub-titles and sub-paragraph
    Divide your article in sub-paragraph with each a sub-titles. So it will be easier for the readers to browse your article and its content.
  4. Images
    Don’t forget to add a maximum of pictures!
  5. Conclusion
    Finish your article with a short conclusion (2-3 ligns).

Example

[Title] The First Steps in Australia

[Introduction] First steps in Australia are tricky. We don’t really know where to start. As an international Student in Sydney, I’ve been there. Let me tell you more about my experience and how I went through.

[Subtitle 1] Arriving in Australia

[Subparagraph 1]Moving to a new city is confusing, I remember going to my hostel and think about all the things I needed to do. A Bank account, phone number, Tax File Number, RSA or White card to get a job. Didn’t even know what these things were, I was honestly stressed. But after meeting my GoStudy counsellor, everything was as clear as a sunny day in Melbourne. He explained to me everything and helped me open my bank account, phone number, etc. He also gave me a lot of options for different things, which is great because I got the full customized experience.

Have you been stressed and then suddenly everything is ok? That was me. So it was the perfect time to meet new people, and what better than Google. But right before that I got an email from GoStudy, there was a party for students, like my counsellor was reading my freaking mind, so change of plans!

[Subtitle 2] Meeting new people

[Subparagraph 2]There I was, a little bit anxious about meeting new people, to be honest, but it was awesome; old students, new students, my counsellor, other counsellors, some random guy who was everyone’s friend but no one knows the name (It happens). I made a lot of friends that day, and everyone from different parts of the world, we were around 12 people from 4 different continents, how awesome is that?

[Subtitle 3] Find a job in Sydney

[Subparagraph 3]In that party, someone told me that I should attend one of the job sessions because these guys could help find a job easily, so I did. One of the new guys at the party was also there, we thought ‘kitchen hand’ was the best option because we both were attending the same chef and cookery vocational course. The guys at the job session helped me a lot, translated my resume and gave me a lot of tips regarding the job I was looking for, even emails with job offers for me and my friend.

[Subtitle 3] Combine work and study

Studying two days a week is amazing because I have time to work and apply what I’m learning, imagine how good is to study how to be a chef two days a week and the rest just go to a restaurant and do it for real!

Another cool thing that happens is the ‘Educational Pathway’ this pretty much means that when I finish this vocational course, I can get a higher education degree, extend my visa, and stay in Melbourne, which I love.

[Conclusion]Once you initiate the first step, all the next ones are becoming easier and easier. And this is really great to know you can count on Go Study all along your adventure. So just go for it!

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UPLOAD A VIDEO

GUIDE TO CREATE GREAT VIDEOS

So you’re ready to start recording videos and become a GoStudy rock star? Well, the best place to start is here! This guide will teach you how to record quality videos that look like you had a whole camera crew working for you.

Let’s start

We firmly recommend using your smartphone. Your smartphone can record video with an amazing video and audio quality. Also, it’s is compact, handy and easy to use, this makes your smartphone less intrusive when it comes to recording videos outdoor or in public spaces.

A few tips to look like a pro

  1. Shoot horizontal, not vertical.
    To shoot better video on your phone, shoot horizontally.
    Shooting a video clip with your phone upright doesn’t seem like a problem when you’re recording because it’s showing full screen on your phone, but when you want to play the video anywhere else, your clip will have two black bars on each side of the screen.
  2. Keep it steady
    Use both hands, and lock your elbows into your body for extra stability. Try it yourself; you can practice a little bit to see the difference. If you have a selfie stick, this is also a good alternative to make you videos more steady and less shaky.
  3. Framing your videos
    When you’re talking to the camera make sure we can clearly see your face. You can try a few times, so you get the hang of it and learn how to move while you’re talking to the camera.
    If you are recording something else than yourself and you are using the rear camera, a good way to compose start is by activating the grid on the camera and try to fill the frame without leaving too much “air” or “white space.”
  4. Make the light work for you
    Light is your friend, always look for a good natural source of light and is very important, when you are recording in selfie mode, that you face the light, this will make the video look more professional with an excellent lighting. When outdoors, try and find a position where the sun is evenly lighting the scene you want to record.
    If some there are parts of the shot too bright or too dark, change your position and find another angle which allows you to achieve the shot you wanted, but with better light.
  5. Record a ton of videos!
    Although a video the most important part of the video is going to be you explaining your experience, a video made up of many shorter clips often makes a more interesting watch, and you can pick out some smaller details, not just the overall scene. If you are talking about how much you liked the opera house, for instance, is important to get some footage of people walking near the opera house or the sunset.
  6. Record good audio
    Bad audio can ruin a video, so be sure to record in a quiet, controlled environment, it doesn’t mean you will always have a perfect audio, but it will help you to get a better quality. Get as close to the mic as you can to make sure your voice sounds clear and loud. No doubt you’ve heard wind noise on video clips, to avoid this locate the built­in microphone and try to shield it from the wind, and get up close to the mic.
  7. Don’t zoom
    Just don’t use it, never. Most smartphones have digital zooms, which are just software tricks but not the real zoom, so the image is always going to look bad and pixelated.

Creating the content

Now that you know how to record a pro video is time to think about what are you going to say.

You can make three videos about your experience in Australia.

  1. My new life in Australia
  2. A fun activity or event you are enjoying (or have enjoyed)
  3. Why people should come to Australia

Videos can be in your native language or English. All videos should start with “My name is XXX, and I came to Australia thanks to Go Study Australia” and should finish with “Thanks, Go Study, for making my Australian Dream come true”.

We recommend you to choose a subject and talk about that, something that you love about Australia or things that happened to you and other students. People love fun stories, and we know you have a ton of those. But you also have to tell everyone a little bit about yourself.

That’s why we need you to answer the following questions when you are recording the video.

  • What’s your name, age, and nationality?
  • What are the reasons you came to Australia?
  • What did you want to achieve through your studies in Australia?
  • Why did you choose GoStudy?
  • Your advice for the future adventurers
  • What will you say to somebody that remains unsure about coming in Australia.

List of Subjects to talk about (if you’re having a hard time trying to choose a topic you can pick one from our list).

  • My new Life in Australia
  • Check out what I did last weekend
  • Here I am at my college
  • Why I love this city
  • The best tips I have for making friends
  • Meeting people from different countries
  • How is my day in this city (Working, living, studying)
  • Things I’ve while working and studying
  • GoStudy support me and they have great events

Now is time to record a video!

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