Indian and African Journalists can apply to report from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification COP 14 in New Delhi, India.

*Please click “Apply Now” to access the application. The deadline is June 23rd, 2019 at 5pm IST. Contact info.ejn@internews.org with any questions.* 

 INTERNEWS’ EARTH JOURNALISM NETWORK IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW SELECTED JOURNALISTS TO ATTEND AND COVER THE 14TH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP 14) TO THE UN CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION (UNCCD) TAKING PLACE IN NEW DELHI, INDIA, IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, 2019.

The UNCCD COP14 will be a key gathering to review progress made to control and reverse further loss of productive land from desertification, land degradation and drought. A mix of representatives from national, regional and local governments, science and research communities, the private sector, international and non-governmental organizations and all forms of media are expected to address these issues during the two-week event.

As part of this Fellowship program, the 2019 group will comprise five selected journalists from Africa and India. We’re putting particular emphasis on selecting reporters from arid regions, or regions impacted by drought and desertification. Fellows will attend the conference between 6-14 September, where they will engage with other participants and Fellowship program organizers in a series of specially designed activities that will include mentorship, an orientation workshop, breakfast briefings and interviews and sessions with high-level officials.

Amongst costs covered will be nonrefundable economy-class airfare, hotel, meals, and transportation both in-location and in transit. We will also assist with the press accreditation process and provide other support services relating to travel. Please note that the process of obtaining any necessary visas is a Fellow’s responsibility; however, visa costs can be reimbursed.

REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for the Fellowship, applicants must:

• Be a professional journalist from or representing an established media house and reporting from a developing country;
• Fill out the application form using the link below, including answering essay questions that illustrate his/her experience reporting on desertification and degradation issues. We also ask you to describe the kinds of stories you might pursue at the conference;
• Be available to arrive in India on Friday, 6^th September and stay until departure on Saturday, 14^th
• Commit to participate in all Fellowship activities;
• Provide a letter of support from an editor, producer or supervisor who can confirm your ability to publish or broadcast your material in an established media outlet. Freelancers are welcome to apply but must provide a letter of support.

Criteria for evaluating applicants will include the prospective Fellow’s demonstrated experience covering desertification, climate change and other environmental topics, their interest in continued coverage of these issues and their audience and outlet’s reach.

As part of the application process, journalists will be asked to submit examples of their work. These can be uploaded as text pasted into a Word document or as links. Stories can be sent in a native language as long as they are accompanied by a short English synopsis. A good command of English, however, will be needed to answer the essay questions and will also be important to participate in Fellowship activities.

The Earth Journalism Network fully respects the editorial independence of all journalists. Throughout the conference, Fellows are free to report as they see fit. As well as the requirements above, we ask that journalists agree to cross-post all stories they file during the UNCCD COP14 on the Earth Journalism Network website and local and regional partner sites (we expect the stories will first be published or broadcast by a Fellow’s home media outlet).

The deadline for sending applications is June 23, 2019 at 5pm IST.

Brand new bloggers and experienced bloggers alike are always looking for new ways to monetize their website.

If you’re doing the work to build an audience, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind seeing some fruits from your labor coming in sooner rather than later, amirite?

There is one way to monetize early with your blog that will get you some modest results starting out—advertising networks.

First, let’s define what an ad network is for the newbies…

A Digital Advertising Network is a company the connects advertisers to bloggers who want to host ads on their site. 

Although monetizing with ads on your blog is a pretty easy thing to do, don’t expect right away to rake in enough funds to quit your job or reach whatever dreams you hold.

Significant revenue from website ads is a long game…the more traffic you get, or the more engaged (active on the site) your audience, the higher your ad revenue will tend to go.

So in this post we will take a look at some ad networks that are available for you to consider when it comes to placing advertisements on your site.

But first, let’s look at some different digital ad network pricing models. 

4 Ways to Get Paid by a Digital Advertising Network

The blog advertising network industry uses four primary pricing models to calculate your earnings. It will be good to understand this before choosing an ad network. You need to decide which one is best for YOUR blog. 

Here’s a helpful graphic. Feel free to swipe it for your reference. Better yet, please share it or use it on your blog. 🙂 

CPM

This payment model focuses on the number of impressions an ad receives. CPM stand for “cost per mille”, or cost per every one thousand impressions.

The term “impressions” may sound deep, however it is just marketing-speak for how many people see the advertisement. This is similar to tv ads—these ads are great for companies who want to spread awareness of their brand. 

So what do you as the blogger get in return? This model can work well if you are getting lots of eyeballs to your site. For example, if your ad network is paying you $11 per CPM, this would mean you the blogger make $11 every time a particular ad gets 1000 impressions. 

CPC

This pricing model can be a winner for the blogger who has a highly engaged audience. CPC means “Cost Per Click” and it means exactly how it sounds: every time an ad is clicked, you payment total increases.

This pricing model is adored by advertisers who care how effective their ads are performing.

The average CPC earnings is $1 to $5 per click. But be aware that each network may measure CPC differently, so make sure you know what you are signing up for before you use a particular CPC ad network.

Fixed Rate

Just like it sounds, a fixed rate is a flat rate. This pay model is for people who want a consistent amount of payment, but if your ads are doing well, you could be losing a lot of money that the other models would have provided. 

Awhile back, in the “good old days” of blogging, the fixed rate model was more common. If you are interested in selling your own ad space, maybe have a banner ad or an ad in the side bar, for example, then you could essentially earn a fixed rate from the companies who advertise on the blog. But you’ll have to find the businesses yourself and handle the transaction. 

Or, you can pick an ad network that still offers this model. 

CPA

CPA means “cost per acquisition”, and in this model, your blog visitor must do more than simply click on the advertisement. They must also purchase, opt-in or sign up. 

This may sound like a tougher model to make money, and on paper that is true. However, a seasoned blogger who also monetizes with affiliate marketing should consider this option, because advertisers love it. They are happy to share a larger commission payment with those bloggers who can gather clicks that lead to actual sales. So the income potential here is generally much greater than with the other models. 

Which Ad Network is Right for You?

I don’t recommend putting all your monetization eggs in the ad networks basket only….you will need a sizeable amount of traffic to make enough income on ads to quit your job. 

Choosing the right advertising network could be a nice compliment to your other monetization goals.

But for those looking for a simple, low maintenance way to make some extra cash from your blog, using an ad network as an income stream is definitely an option.

And there are plenty of options out there.

Ad Networks You Can Use to Monetize Your WordPress Blog

1. SOVRN

Pronounced “Sovereign”, this ad network is one I recently discovered while helping a blog coaching student choose an ad network. 

They offer many different tools to help you generate income from your content. 

Pay Model: CPM

Adding SOVRN is easy. There is no code involved. 

SOVRN also supports fair and transparent advertising and net neutrality. 

2. Hilltop Ads

Has anti-adblocker technology, so you can get paid for virtually all the traffic that comes your way. 

Pay Model: CPA, CPM and CPC models are available. 

A nice feature is their real-time tracking statistics. 

You must be a “medium” or “large” publisher. New blogs not likely to get approved. 

3. Propeller Ads

This one appears to be liked by many.

From what I know, getting approval is super quick–like instantly for most. Gamer bloggers and those who have websites that cross pollinate with multiple niches are liking this ad network.

You can choose between the CPM, CPA and CPC payment models. A nice feature is real-time reporting on your earnings. You get to track your performance and income in real time.

Propeller Ads does have a minimum payout of $100 for PayZa and Payoneer and $550 minimum for wire transfer.

4. RevenueHits

Again, if your audience and site visitors tend to be engaged, this one might work well for you.

RevenueHits uses the CPA payment model, which means you get paid for every completed action on the website you own. It pays $10 to $50 for each completed transaction! Keep in mind, you don’t earn any income for clicks or impressions, only actions. But the CPA rates are good. 

5. Adbuff

Getting approved requires a minimum of 2000 unique visitors per day, and once you are in, Adbuff offers a CPm and CPC pay model. The CPM rate is high here. 

You ads will include plenty of big brands with quality ads. The interface is easy and you can track your progress with their mobile app if you like to do that.

Their minimum payout is $100, which can be delivered via PayPal, Bitcoin, Payoneer or wire transfer.

6. Infolinks

You may like the in-text ad formats offered here.

You get to choose which ads to display on your website: in-text ads, overlay ads, banner ads, in-screen ads and in-frame ads.

Lots of trusted advertisers with Infolinks like eBay, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft.

$50 is the minimum payment threshold. You can get paid through PayPal, Payoneer, wire transfer, and echeck.

7. PopAds

These guys specialize in “pop-under ads”, which are similar to pop up ads, only they are not instantaneous. They linger behind the browser window and appear after other windows have been closed.

If you “want yo money” right away without having to wait till you reach a set amount, you’ll like PopAds with their minimum payout of $5. Payouts include PayPal and Payoneer or you can do auto-deposit. Right now their home page says “we guarantee you that no other popunder ad network will pay better than us!” 

8. Bidvertiser

This ad network has been around for years, offering various ad formats to bloggers. You get a choice of ads that look great on YOUR website. The ads you will see are not the best quality, but bloggers like using Bidvertiser for their easy UX, on-time payments and a low payout threshold ($10). You can get paid via PayPal, bank transfer or check.

9. Google AdSense

We can’t leave out good ol’ Google AdSense….that wouldn’t makey any, well, sense. 🙂

Because they’re so big and established, many still consider them the best. It is not super easy for a new blogger to get approved by them with their strict rules, but when you do, they are a brand you can rely on.

They offer CPC pay model. The ad quality is good, which always helps your blog visitors have a better visit on your site.

Many like how AdSense gives you flexibility to show customized ads and they are easy to use once you get approved.

Their minimum payout is $100. Just get your traffic up to the “decent” level and produce fabulous content and you can earn hundreds of extra dollars. You get to choose your payout options: western union, wire transfer, EFT, or check.

Need help getting started with AdSense? Read this: Step 8: Make Money Blogging

Which Ad Network for Your Blog Will You Choose?

All nine of these ad networks can be used with a WordPress self hosted blog. If you don’t have a blog yet, I can help you with that, too.  

All of these nine brands are generally considered quality and trustworthy. Although I personally have not used all 9, they are trusted by bloggers all over the world. 

With any of these choices, you will get variety in your ad choices. Not all of these networks offer high quality ads, but they all deliver as far as getting your blog monetized with ads and paying you on time. 

Keep in mind, you can earn anywhere from $9 to over $200 per day with ads, IF you produce great content, get the needed traffic or engagement, and PICK THE RIGHT AD NETWORK. 

So now, it’s up to you. Time to choose…which ad network are you interested in? 

Or maybe you are already using an ad network, listed here on not. Tell us what you’re up to in the comments, or ask me any questions you have about ad networks here.

Author Bio:
Matthew Kaboomis Loomis is the owner of Build Your Own Blog. Follow him on Facebookand Twitter.

https://www.buildyourownblog.net/blog/top-ad-networks-to-monetize-your-blog/?email=masblast21may

SOURCE
Office of the Vice President of Kenya

South Africa: Eskom to expand transmission network with $218 million loan from African Development Bank

The Bank’s intervention will enable the provision of additional power evacuation paths to the network from the Kusile, Majuba, Drakensburg and Ingula power stations
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, September 27, 2018/ — The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved a ZAR 2.886 billion (US$217.9 million ) loan to South Africa’s power utility Eskom Holdings Ltd, towards the upgrade and expansion of its transmission facilities. The entity is crucial to power supply within the sub-region.

The funding supports the Eskom Transmission Improvement Project (ETIP), which will see the construction of 555km of 400kV transmission lines in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga province and the upgrading of substation equipment and improvement of various substation earth mats in Mpumalanga. The transmission lines will provide additional power evacuation paths for new generation capacity, ensure availability of power for future load growth, enable the reduction of network losses and ensure safety of personnel and assets during network operations to ensure compliance to the Grid Code.

The Bank’s intervention will enable the provision of additional power evacuation paths to the network from the Kusile, Majuba, Drakensburg and Ingula power stations. It will also benefit the utility’s corporate restructuring and governance program.

The ETIP aligns with the Government of South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030, geared toward financing infrastructure to support the country’s medium- and long-term economic and social objectives. ETIP was identified in the Bank’s South Africa Country Strategy Paper ((CSP) 2018–2022) and is consistent with its pillars of promoting industrialization and deepening regional integration. The project is also consistent with the Bank’s ten-year strategy 2013–2022.

The loan, which was approved by the Bank’s board on Tuesday 25 September, includes an additional co-financing of US$25 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF). The Bank’s contribution, covered by a South African Government guarantee, will finance up to77 percent of the critical project. Eskom will provide 15 percent. These investments will enhance regional energy trade, end-user energy access for industrial development, and address the potential addition of 130 million on-grid connections by 2025.

Eskom (www.Eskom.co.za) operates South Africa’s national grid, which comprises 157 transmission substations and approximately 31,107km of transmission lines and 160 distribution substations, totaling 139,610MVA of installed transformer capacity. The utility contributes approximately 77 percent of the total installed power capacity in the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) and makes up approximately 80 percent of the regional power demand.

Efficient power trade within the SAPP is hampered by system losses and weakening of the transmission capacity. Access to electricity in all SAPP member states (excluding South Africa), remains below 45 percent and is as low as 10 percent in Malawi. Eskom trades within the SAPP, selling electricity to, and buying from, member countries.

Eskom is central to the realization of the Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa strategy and the loan supports the Bank’s High 5 (https://bit.ly/2kiTUgj) priorities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact:
Chawki Chahed
Chief Communications Officer
Email: C.Chahed@AfDB.org
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: j.mp/AfDB_Media
SOURCE
African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

BY
RICHARD NIEVA

When Ben Gomes joined Google in 1999, a year after the company started, he remembers cofounder Larry Page telling him early on that when it came to building their service, search needs to be expansive, and it needs to be fast.

“‘Speed matters’ was the message, probably as much to us as it was for the user,” Gomes said in an interview last week to talk about the anniversary of Google search.

The message resonated — it’s obvious whenever you Google something. Type in a query, and Google’s search engine, which officially turns 20 on Thursday, shows you the number of results and how long it took to get them. Search time today: typically less than half a second.

Now, Gomes runs all of Google search. In a nondescript conference room at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California, Gomes talks about the early days and their mission. Sitting across from him is and Emily Moxley, a nine-year Google veteran who leads product management for the search results page. She remembers Page’s obsession with speed too. “Larry’s always been very interested in latency and doing things really fast,” she says. “There’s stories of him playing with demoes, and he’ll start counting the seconds as the results get returned.”

In the lobby outside the conference room, a screen shows search terms that are trending on Google in real time. So at a glance, visitors can see for themselves just how good Google has gotten at analyzing and serving up search data quickly.

Now Google is the dominant search engine on the planet. Page and cofounder Sergey Brin helped make the internet, which in 1998 was still a hodgepodge of scattered content, more usable and relevant to us average people. Their search service brought information to our fingertips via a simple yet elegant user interface that’s still in use today. And it’s become such a part of our lives that that we’ve turned its name into a verb. Today, people do more than 1 billion Google searches each day.

To celebrate the 20-year mark, Google this week unveiled new features aimed at updating search to tap into how people have changed the way they look for stuff online. New “activity cards” show you related and past searches if you’re doing something longer term, like planning a camping trip. A revamped version of Google Images gives you more context around the pictures in the search engine. And on Thursday, the company released a new Google Doodle celebrating 20 years of search and a Google Maps “street view” look at the old garage office that Page and Brin rented from Susan Wojcicki (now CEO of YouTube) in the early days of the company.

But for as much of the positive impact Google has had, it’s also facing some of its biggest challenges today. It’s fighting against its platform being used to spread fake news. It’s being criticized over a rumored project in China that would deliver a compromised version of search reportedly designed to pass muster with the authoritarian government there. And it’s defending itself against allegations by President Donald Trump and conservative lawmakers that its search algorithms are biased.

Gomes wouldn’t address any of those topics directly, but he said the company is striving to improve when I asked him what Google has learned in 20 years of search.

“We have no illusions that we’re perfect. But we’re constantly working to make things better,” Gomes says. “It’s a privilege and responsibility.”

Search under fire
Criticism of Google has ratcheted up lately. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google employees had considered tweaking the search engine to surface pro-immigration content after President Donald Trump’s travel ban last year that barred immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. In response, Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly told employees in a memo, “Recent news stories reference an internal email to suggest that we would compromise the integrity of our Search results for a political end. This is absolutely false.”

“We have no illusions that we’re perfect. But we’re constantly working to make things better.”
Ben Gomes, head of Google search
Much of the strongest pushback against Google has come from Washington. Last month, Trump accused Google of political bias and having a liberal bent. He tweeted that Google’s search results are “RIGGED,” saying the company is “suppressing voices of Conservatives.” He also tweeted a video claiming Google promoted former President Barack Obama’s State of the Union addresses every January but not his. Trump added the hashtag #StopTheBias.

Google rejected the president’s claim, saying its homepage did promote Trump’s address in January. The company also explained it didn’t promote either Trump’s or Obama’s address from their first years in office because those speeches aren’t technically considered State of the Union addresses. A screenshot from the Internet Archive, which keeps a record of what appears on web domains, backs up Google’s explanation.

When I asked about the allegations of bias, Gomes didn’t address it directly. “We’re building search for our users,” he said. “We’re rigorously testing all our changes for our users, to make sure we’re giving our users the most relevant information we know how. And that’s what we’ve always done.”

When pressed further, he still doesn’t get specific. But he does say Google has 10,000 “raters” around the world who evaluate the quality of search results.

I also asked Gomes about Project Dragonfly, Google’s reported effort to build a censored search engine for China, after exiting the country in 2010. At the time, Brin, who grew up in the Soviet Union, cited the “totalitarianism” of Chinese government policies as the reason for leaving.

In response, Gomes repeated what the company has already said about the project — that Google’s work regarding China is only “exploratory” and the company is “not close” to launching a search product there. (On Wednesday, though, Keith Enright, Google’s chief privacy officer, confirmed during a hearing with the Senate Commerce Committee that there is indeed a Project Dragonfly, but he wouldn’t elaborate.)

‘More complex’
Even though there are challenges, there’s still a sense of pride from Gomes and his lieutenants about building Google search into the powerful tool it is today.

He remembers being sent out to physically fix broken servers in the early days. “I think I fixed minus-three servers,” he says, laughing. “Not the best use of engineers’ time.”

The team also reminisces about the nuances in improving the search engine and the milestones along the way. Gomes mentions breakthroughs in getting the service to account for people’s spelling mistakes. Shashi Thakur, vice president of engineering, reflects on the importance of the “Knowledge Graph,” Google’s web of information on how different things are connected. David Bailey, principal engineer of Google search, talks about launching “Universal Search” in 2007, which took the search engine beyond just showing users 10 blue links, but a blend of listings, news, videos and photos.

And as Google’s search engine has evolved, so has the company.

“There’s no denying Google’s gotten bigger,” says Bailey. “It’s gotten more complex. It’s role in the world has gotten more complex. These things are challenging.”

Boll, who made the disclosure in Lagos at the 19th Annual EducationUSA Career, Colleges and Universities Fair, said young
Nigerians would benefit immensely from studying in U.S.

The official of the U.S. Department of State said it was imperative for young Nigerians to take advantage of the many educational
development options that the institutions were currently offering.

“Let me say that promoting international education is of great importance to the United States. Here we have so many excellent
colleges and universities for young Nigerians to choose from.

“EducationUSA is committed to supporting the increasing number of African students who are interested in studying in the
United States.

“So, we want young Nigerians to come to study in the 47, 000 US accredited educational Colleges and universities that are really
waiting to admit them,” he said.

According to Boll, the goal of the U.S. and the institution is to help Nigerian international students find the institutions that best suit
each student.

He said his home government also strongly believe that when young Nigerians study in the US “they would be exposed to the world”.

Boll urged participants at the fair, especially secondary school students, to begin to look at the options of studying in
internationally recognized institutions like those in the U.S.

“We are equipping the next generation of world leaders with the tools they need to build stable economic, promote democracy and
the rule of law, and create positive social change in their communities for a safely, more prosperous world.

“We will continue to focus on individual successes. So, for young Nigerians, we hope that that you make the right choice from
this fair, “he said.

Mr Russell Brooks, the new Consul-General of the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, said the US Mission in Nigeria was
committed to supporting the development of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Brooks said it was the U.S. government’s top priority to support the overall development of Nigeria, adding that the nation’s
educational development was one of the targeted areas.

According to him, EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 425 international students advising centres in
more than 175 countries.

The Fair, attended by 300 Nigerian students from different schools , afforded students and parents opportunities to interact with
representatives of the visiting U.S. educational institutions.