trends

I'm sure you've heard of audio books. They are in fashion because they have quickly become a perfect alternative for people who don't have time to read a book or are not in the habit of doing so, and yet love to be told stories. Did you know that storytelling is one of the most ancestral customs of human beings? Moreover, oral tradition is the basis of social evolution, cultural identity and collective memory. From the meetings around the fire already documented by archaeologists, our narrated stories have evolved from proverbs, riddles and simple tales to epics, chants, romances, myths and legends, to stories and novels and even the cinema. We love it because it transports us to other realities and stimulates our mind. For all those who want to immerse themselves in literature, the options multiply every day thanks to the internet and recently thanks to the websites that host audiobooks. What is an audiobook. Don't confuse it with an ebook. An audiobook is the recording of a book read aloud. It can have many levels of complexity such as effects, ambient sound or different narrators and characters, which has made the listening experience more and more complex and complete. To give you an idea, according to Deloitte studies, 18% of American adults (over 73 million people) now listen to an audiobook at least once a year. Worldwide, the number of current audiobook consumers exceeds 500 million and is predicted to grow by 25% by 2021. If only out of curiosity, this practice is worth the try. Advantajes of audiobooks. Some of the main advantages of audiobooks are the number of titles you will find and the possibility to listen to them at any time. You can practice listening on your phone while you go for a run, in your transport routines, in waiting moments... It's as simple as plugging in a headset or speakerphone to your mobile device, tablet or computer and hitting play. It's often cheaper than buying the same books on paper, so it can be quite affordable. It also doesn't take up space on our shelves and above all it's ideal for learning new things, including understanding and pronouncing other languages. You lose the experience of touching and smelling the pages of the book, but you gain in so many other things, it's worth it. The best audiobook websites. To make listening practice a routine that feeds your mind, we bring you a list of the best websites to download audiobooks. There are more options as you can imagine, so be sure to try out several of them. Storytel Its catalogue, with more than 40,000 titles, is always being renewed because it works with more than 150 publishers. In fact, it is the editorial team itself that selects the actors who tell each of the stories. You can listen to them online, download them or buy the ebook. It also allows you to buy 1, 3 or 6 month vouchers to give to friends. The only drawback to Storytel is that once your subscription expires, you no longer have the books, unless you bought them as an ebook. Amazon Audible It has more than 180,000 books available in all languages and with two types of services: independent download of each audiobook or by paying a monthly fee with which you can listen to as many books as you want. If you are still not convinced, you can join the 15-day trial period and if you are from Amazon Prime, know that it is a service you already have access to. Its main advantage is that, even if you unsubscribe, you keep the books. LibriVox It's a free public online digital library. 90% of the books it has are in English, and although LibriVox itself produces its own audiobooks in up to 36 different languages. Most of the stories are recorded by the users themselves, some unfortunately not so professional. Audioteka It's an audiobook App where you pay for each title with the option to listen for free the first 5 minutes. Ideal to get an idea. You don't need to pay a monthly subscription but, in the case of some new titles, the price of each audiobook is very similar to its printed option on paper, so Audioteka will suit you very well if you want to access some classics. Lit2Go It is an online collection of free stories and poems under Creative Commons license, with all languages available. The good thing about Lit2go is that you can download some chapters in pdf. It can be very useful for a complete analysis of some very specific contents. Sonolibro It calls itself a "portal for dramatized audiobooks in all languages and genres". Since Storytel employs actors for the story and uses sound effects and music making the listening experience more like a radio soap opera than a reading. Sonolibro does not have a fixed fee, but offers the direct purchase of audiobooks. If you are not completely convinced, try some of its free content first. Internet Archive As its name suggests, it is an audio file, but it contains more than 11,000 audiobooks of works in the public domain or under a Creative Commons license. The particularity of the Internet Archive is that in it you will find recordings of old radio programs, reading of alternative news, specific texts,... It is a real library for the most curious minds. Youtube It does not have its own service, but it does have its own free audio book channel with 28,000 subscribers. It started as a project to bring reading closer to the visually impaired, but over 6 years it has spread to all audiences and has created a community around books. Interesting if you are looking for good reviews or generate debate around a book. iVoox It is a free podcast kiosk that allows you to play, download and share audios of any subject and genre. Among the many files you can access are a large number of audio books and audio stories, all freely downloadable. Loyal Books It is a library of audiobooks and ebooks for free download, organized by genres. It has more than 20 different languages, including Esperanto, and because of the great collection of children's books it offers, it is the perfect choice for the youngest ones. Now that you have so many options in your hand, there are no more excuses to start reading. It is true that audiobooks are a good option to spend your time while learning simply as pure enjoyment, but they are not books. I mean, cognitive development happens in a different way, but it's so stimulating and enjoyable that whether you use it as an alternative to holding a book in your hands or as a hobby for audiobooks, you'll develop a beautiful habit that will bring you nothing but good things. The day you least expect it, you'll find yourself recommending it to everyone around you. It happened to us.

Brand logos transformed into their feminine version.

design, trends

In commemoration of last year's International Women's Day #iwd2018, many brands wanted to honor it by doing an eye-catching online and in some cases offline campaign. Scalpel and Illustrator in hand, transformed their brands to their most feminine version. Here are 10 examples of the best known brands. MCDONALD'S With this simple gesture, to turn its logo around, Mcdonalds launched last year a marketing campaign in the U.S., changing both posters, packaging ... not spared in expenses. It was one of the most popular examples, both for the importance of the company and the scale of the campaign. Step by step, Mcdonnals, step by step. MTV MTV also signed up to the trend and modified its logo just like Mcdonald's, turning it upside down in W mode. They launched this proposal in their different social networks profiles. MTV is a company aimed at a mostly young audience and it is interesting that they get involved in this type of initiative of inclusiveness and diversity. MONOPOLY Creative Equals, which aims to support women and promote diversity in the creative industry, also launched a campaign with the slogan "Here's to more women" in which they replace iconic logos of different brands in their feminine version to focus on the gender inequality that is evident in brands and branding. Logos such as Monopoly, Pringles, Dreamworks...were candidates. Here we can see the change, not only in gender but also...of age? it seems that this monopoly lady still follows something more stereotyped than it seemed. JOHNNY WALKER Johnny or rather Jane Walker appeared in commemoration of this day to present this new product, a simple adaptation of its logo so characteristic, the known as "walker", a very elegant and refined gentleman in the best style of the twentieth century. The brand also presented the exhibition Signs of Progress at the New York Historical Society, an exhibition to exhibit poster designs for pro-feminist demonstrations throughout the United States. GIGANTE VERDE “Gigante Verde” has opted for a small transformation of its logo feminizing the features of the strong giant that represents its brand, refining them but without losing its strong essence. It is subtle but somehow representative of the different typologies of the female body, at least we haven´t found a green barbie. DREAMWORKS This is also a work of the organization Creative Equals, it is the logo of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. an American animation studio, which produces mainly animated films, among which are Shrek, Madagascar... It is interesting that we bear in mind these signs of inequality in the design of products and brands aimed at children since it can be difficult even at an early age to filter these details that can also be maintained unconsciously in adult life. If they sell that you are a princess that need to be rescued this thought may accompany you forever. Fortunately, new canons in character and script design are currently being observed in this industry. KFC Claudia Sanders became the star (at least for a day) of the famous KFC restaurant chain. This campaign took place in the networks of the Malaysian headquarters, where 57% of the employees are women. That's why management said it was fair to recognize the work they do. According to the tweet published by KFC Malaysia, Claudia Sanders was the wife of Colonel Sanders, who gives image to the brand, he was the one who gave the world his secret recipe for fried chicken but she was the one who mixed the spices... PRINGLES The logo of the dehydrated potato brand was also a candidate for processing. For its commercial launch was created the well-known mascot with a characteristic moustache, "Julius Pringles", designed by Louis R. Dixon. In this case it is a somewhat stereotypical transformation with long hair, lipstick and eyelashes but it is true that in such a cartoon and schematic logo it is consistent to maintain this style. WINERIES TIO PEPE We also wanted to represent one of the most typical Spanish products and one of the icons that has also had more representation outside Spain, "Tio Pepe" wineries. It was the work of Luis Pérez Solero, cartoonist, musician and poet, and in 1929 he founded Impera SL, possibly one of the oldest advertising agencies in Spain. With the same grace his Andalusian and flamenco female version is imortalized. VOLVO The logo of this prestigious Swedish car brand, from its origin through its evolution over the years was regularly criticized by feminist associations for the use of the male symbol, which did not cease to amaze Swedish businessmen who explained that it was a very different origin, the god Mars holding a shield and an arrow. May it be, and since it is not good to get into discussions, we have found an inclusive alternative for Volvo, you are welcome. CONCLUSIONS What is it that makes us think about these brand actions? There was a lot of talk last year about these design changes, which a lot of brands signed up for. Many thought it was a powerful initiative that helped to give visibility to the feminist movement in the media, others that it was nothing more than attracting attention in networks and that there was no real commitment on the part of these brands and associations. Well, although we can see that there is a bit of everything, more committed and less, it is hopeful to know that we are beginning to be aware of how, in a subtle way, this inequality continues to weigh on our society and that we must begin to tear down these walls in what surrounds us day by day, like this tin of peas that you surely have in the pantry. We will be watching this year for branding news and marketing actions what they have prepared for us. Main photo: Max Ostrozhinskiy

The best streaming video platforms

trends

Cinema is a window to other worlds. It has all the ingredients to stimulate our imagination, to move our feelings and to position us somewhere different in the world. Followed by series and documentaries, streaming platforms are the main entertainment source and cultural show with more followers worldwide. According to data provided by Strategy Analytics, currently more than 250 million homes around the world already have streaming services. This figure is expected to rise to 450 million subscribers by 2022. What is streaming. Sometimes called 'TV on Demand', Streaming channels allow you to play video content as it is downloaded from the Internet. Streaming is as simple as going to the internet, searching for what you want to watch, and pressing the play button for your enjoyment. You are in complete control of what you want to watch. Currently, consumption is focused on the domestic environment through the proliferation of all types of streaming channels that offer their content with the highest image quality, which accounts for 80% of current Internet traffic according to results of the Cisco Visual Networking Index. Advantages of streaming content. You can see what you want, where you want, when you want, as many times as you want. You didn’t catch the last scene? You can watch it again. You only have a little while? You can leave it paused and resume it later. Or, for example, change your device and finish that documentary you were watching while travelling on public transport. Another advantage is being able to access the content in its original language or with subtitles to make it accessible to people with hearing limitations, but best of all is the endless catalogue of content that you will have access to. And that, unfortunately, can also be a disadvantage: there is so much variety, you don't know where to look. So that your couch and blanket evening don’t get frustrated, here are the most popular streaming channels. Netflix Together with Amazon Prime Video, it is the undisputed king of streaming, with more than 3,000 films, documentaries and series. It started in 1997 as a DVD video store that clearly knew how to renew itself. Now it boasts of having invented "binge watching" or what is the same: the binge of series one episode after another. It has perhaps the most complete catalogue of films and the best known series, some of them produced by Netflix ("The Crown", "House of Cards", "Black Mirror", for example) It allows you to connect several devices to your Smart tv, such as your phone, video game console or blu ray to be able to stream. At the end of September 2019 it exceeded 158 million subscribers in some 190 countries. Amazon Prime Video As complete in features as Netflix allows you to also connect any device to your Smart tv for streaming. It also produces its own series, as was the case with "Mozart in the Jungle"' which in 2015 won the Golden Globe for best comedy series. Its main advantage is that it is included in the Amazon Prime service for express delivery of packages, so it is practically a 2x1. HBO For 20 years it was the quintessential American television network for television series. It had the best ideas and above all the best in-house productions. HBO studios have produced 'The Sopranos', 'Westworld' and since it has been syndicated, it also offers content that is not its own, most of them are still series. Youtube Premium Youtube was the pioneer in streaming in 2005. In 2014 it started offering music videos without advertising by converting your account to Premium. Since 2018 you can also access original and exclusive content produced by their own studios or by Youtube personalities. You can also play any content without an internet connection and access their mobile applications such as YouTube Music, YouTube Gaming and YouTube Kids. Google play Movies Its full name is Google Play Movies & TV and it is already present in 110 countries. It offers movies and TV shows for purchase or rent, most of them in HD or up to 4k Ultra HD. With its mobile app you can stream offline. If you prefer to use your TV, it also has a variety of viewing options. Sky It has traditionally been the leading television channel in Britain. By converting its services to a streaming platform, it has maintained all its aspects and has consolidated itself in Europe with 23 million subscribers. It continues to produce its entertainment, culture, film and sports channels and has added the big names: Fox, MTV, 13th Street, TNT, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Comedy Central, AXN, AXN White, Fox Life, Canal Historia, SYFY, Disney Junior and TCM. Hulu It’s only available in the United States, where by the end of 2019, it had over 28 million users. It was born in 2007 thanks to News Corporation and NBCUniversal and is currently mostly controlled by Disney. It produces its own content but also has programmes on channels such as NBC, ABC and Fox and partnerships with record labels such as Warner or EMI to host some live music performances and video clips. It is one of the few that also broadcasts live. Disney + Newly born in Europe, it hopes to reach 60 to 90 million subscribers by 2024 by covering the entire family's tastes. It comes loaded with all of his greatest Disney hits: the "Star Wars" saga, all of the Pixar and Marvel movies and short movies. It also includes Fox programs like "The Simpsons" and an extensive catalog of National Geographic documentaries. Apple TV Already present in more than 100 countries, Apple still has a not very extensive but exquisite list, with new releases and the oldest movies and TV series. After including part of Itunes' video services in 2019, it is now committed to creating its own content that promises to captivate lovers of the technological giant. Experts rumor that it has budgets of a few billion dollars to invest in its new creations. Movistar+ This is Telefónica's channel, associated with some of its telephone rates, although if you are not a customer, you can join Movistar+ Lite where you will find films, series, documentaries, sports and a wide variety of programs from channels such as AMC or Comedy Central. Rakuten TV Created in Catalonia, it can be played in 12 European countries and was launched in 2007 as an adaptation of the classic video clubs. It offers two payment options: by renting content for 48 hours or paying a monthly fee, which is based on data consumption. In this case, it is called "Rakuten Waki" and gives you access to a wider catalogue of films and series with productions such as "Grey's Anatomy", "Criminal Minds", "The Catch", "Scandal Cloak and Dagger", "Happy Endings" or "Quantico". Choosing a streaming channel depends on your taste, what content you want to watch and who you want to watch it with. If you are looking to please the family, Disney +. If you are into current series, maybe you should go for HBO or Netflix, while if you are into arthouse movies, maybe you should go for Amazon Prime. For your peace of mind, most people are signing up for several services due to their affordable prices, so if you want to spend your Sunday afternoon with Brave the Brave Princess but also with Pablo Escobar, give yourself a treat and sign up for several.

The revolution of voice assistants

ux, trends

Making a reservation or asking an appointment for the doctor is something of the past, now thanks to the technology developed by Google, a personal voice assistant will do it for you. Welcome to the present of artificial intelligence! Last tuesday, May 8, the technology giant brought together developers from around the world for the annual conference Google IO 2018, focused on exploring the future of technology. This year the focus has been placed on the development of artificial intelligences. Among the most important releases of AI that have been presented, one of the most prominent has been Google Duplex, an artificial intelligence that has the ability to engage in real conversations with users. How does it work and how could it revolutionize the industry? From the Shoreline amphitheater in Mountain View (California), the general director Sundar Pichai was clear before his bet for the AI and the investigation, presenting in scoop "Google Duplex". This new technology will strengthen the functions of Google's assistant until now and will bring naturalness to the way of speaking thanks to the implementation of six new voices including that of John Legend. Isn`t it great? A personal secretary in the palm of your hand Among the possibilities offered by this AI, it is important to ask the voice assistant to book in a restaurant or take an appointment for the hairdresser. Google is clearly taking the lead in voice and artificial intelligence services industry. This new technology is expected to be tested this summer on the smart speakers of its own brand. How could it improve our quality of life? The idea behind Google's Duplex is to make a realistic AI that speaks like us, reacts as we do and even makes us feel like we are talking to a real person. In the video of the conference, the AI does not sound like a robot or a voice like the one we are used to hearing from Siri, Alexa or Cortana. It seems that the future of voice aids has arrived! According to Nick Fox (VP of design for Google Assistant): "We don`t want to force others to implement these changes, but that is how an assistant should sound". How are we going to differentiate the ai of a human in a conversation if they are the same? This question may have come to your mind, raising some ethical questions. The developers and designers who build the AI "have an obligation to reveal to anyone who interacts with them that they are talking to a machine," said Paul Saffo (of Stanford University). Through social networks, many users have expressed concern about the use of these robots: "These machines could be used for political purposes and to give voting instructions," says Kay Firth-Butterfield on Twitter). During the Google IO there was a demo of a conversation between the AI and a hairdressing employee. The Google assistant sounded amazingly realistic and even muttered "hemm ..." while the other interlocutor was checking hes schedule. The voice was so natural that the employee did not even realize she was talking to a machine. According to Google, this system can be very useful for customers and you will ask yourself why? Undoubtedly one of the main advantages is the saving of time that it supposes for the users, as well as for the small companies that do not have online reservation system. The goal is to help you manage and perform tasks. What does duplex technology save inside? At the heart of Google Duplex, we find an artificial neural network that has been trained to exchange big data over the phone. Calls are divided into multiple tasks: manage pauses, interruptions, give detailed information or synchronize with the speaker. The AI also adapts to the answers depending on the perceived importance. The result? Awesome. Despite the complexity of understanding human language and drawing conclusions, Google Duplex is a system that is able to understand the nuances of conversation. Gather the understanding of natural language, deep learning and textual speech: The Natural Language Understanding (NLU) is also used by IBM to process advanced text analysis. It extracts a lot of content data (keywords, concepts, relationships, etc.) and understands the feeling and emotion. It is possible to find out if the feeling of an article is positive or negative and obtain information about the emotion with which the author is writing. In addition, it can determine in which part of the article the writer is expressing anger, sadness, fear or joy. In-depth learning is part of machine learning methods based on data representations. Nowadays, the power of AI helps computers develop superhuman abilities and the recognition of images. Thus, this type of learning allows scientists to use their resources effectively, analyzing in a month what used to take 10 years. The devices we use every day translate even the most complex languages from voice to text and from images to words. In 2015, Google's DeepMind created the AlphaGo program that uses self-learning to beat the real players of the Go board game. Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology is a voice engine used to broadcast words from any device. For example, if you travel somewhere using Google Maps, TTS talks to you to tell you where to go. It works with all types of digital devices (computers, tablets, smartphones). The voice is generated by computer and not only reads texts but also images through the process of scanning and optical character recognition (OCR) in real time. This technology is used to help children in the development of their reading skills. It seems that the future is here!

Websites to find a job as a Freelance

trends

Since technologies allows us to work remotely, many of us have decided to change their professional trajectories and embark on the adventure of working for themselves. If this is your case, we want to help you set a course for your future and help you find your new customers, the toughest challenge you'll face. So, let's analyze what it means to work as a freelance and how to find those ideal future clients that will allow you to work the way you want. Let's start with the basics: What exactly is a freelance worker? A freelance professional performs specific and specialized work, typical of his profession or trade and commissioned by third parties in exchange for financial compensation. They can also be called 'self-employed', leaving the concept 'freelance' to apply to those who do more creative work, design, photography, video... but it applies to other services such as those offered by content writers, application developers, technical services, page creation web, development, translations, marketing, accounting, virtual assistants, music producers, SEO, community managers, Facebook Ads consultants, event organizers, personal trainers, nutritionists... many options here, but I think you get an idea. Advantages and disadvantages of freelance work It sounds perfect, having no fixed schedules, no uniform, no need to waste time on the move to your workplace, but it also presents many challenges that you will have to face on your own: you have to know how to sell, manage your company, make the delivery on time and support all your customers. The main advantage of the freelance worker is that usually, it is charged based on the result and not on the time spent to develop each order, so it is very beneficial for the professional who can manage their hours as it is more comfortable for them. This way you will learn to value your time, organize yourself much better and increase your productivity constantly. Be careful, because you will have to keep a balance between personal life and work because on many occasions you will encounter unexpected work peaks . As a freelancer, you will take on new challenges that will make you grow in security and confidence towards your own skills. You will be in touch with new professionals from all around the world who will become a network of contacts, stay in constant evolution and realize what you are also looking for as a worker. The main disadvantage is that such jobs you need to look for yourself. And it will be a job that on average will take you at least four hours a week. You may be lucky enough to be recommended by third parties, but usually you have to go out and find them, and for our luck there is a perfect place to do so: freelancers websites. What are freelance websites They are platforms designed both for job seekers and employers who publish their offers. If you are looking for work, customers from all over the world bring you the opportunity to exploit your talent, find the projects that you love most and feel proud of your career. To help you in this difficult task, we present you the best websites where you can find a job as a freelance. Fiverr Fivver is a network of freelancers where users display their finished projects so that potential customers see how you work and can be chosen based on your portfolio. For employers it is useful because it eliminates the need to contact workers one by one. For freelancers it offers free learning courses to develop your skills. It also gives you tips on how to attract your customers. Upwork It's one of the pioneers in this sector. It has changed his corporate image and name recently (formerly called Odesk). It boasts the highest salaries on the market and offers the most varied offers. The main advantage is that they do not take commission from the freelance, but charge the companies that publish the works. Freelancer It's a Spanish platform that is also open to the Latin American market and the United States. Now is a global platform designed for employers, with over 18 million users registered. It tracks job announcements, categorizing according to time, budget, creative needs and has a chat to be able to talk to freelancersIt is designed for development, design, writing, translation and online marketing professionals. Good news is that your portfolio can be integrated with Linkedin and that the platform forces the contractor to leave a deposit before you carry out the work commissioned. Twago It is a German platform where freelancers can import their skills from Linkedin. It offers a secure payment method called SafePay and has a rating system in which your customers can score you so that you stand out from the rest of the candidates. Workana It is created for Latin America, especially Argentina, where it was created. Its operation similar to Freelancer: A person or company publishes the services you need to hire so that interested parties send you their proposals. Once selected, payment is made to the platform and when you have finished the project, the platform pays you. Flexjobs It's one of the most popular platforms out there. It offers flexible work in more than 50 different areas, expanding its search radius worldwide. Its strong point is the thorough analysis it makes of each offer to prevent fraud or false ads. Guru It has about 1.5 million users with technical, creative and business projects. Their hiring method is pretty standard: as a freelancer you create a profile with the services you want to offer so that people looking for that type of job can hire you. In parallel, Guru offers you jobs daily and puts what they call 'Work Room' at your fingertips with a suite of work tools to communicate with your clients. 99 Designs It is a platform specialized in tender for graphic designers and creative advertising. It works by projects where each applicant must reflect the requirements found in the brief of the host of the tender. 99 designs can also award you projects based on your skills. Envato Envaro is the job portal from Envato Studio, an Australian startup. They have evolved over time into a community of reference in design where you can sell your designs. Its range of works, focused on creatives from all walks of life, also includes programmers and cartoonists among a long and so on. Based on our personal experience, working as a freelancer requires a lot of perseverance and perseverance in the search. It requires constant specialization, starting with savings and defining how you will collect. Sometimes it can be a little frustrating because you don't always get a 'yes' the first time. We recommend applying to as many jobs as possible because it is also true that the opposite may happen to you and, when you are about to throw in the towel, many jobs start coming your way as a result of your previous searches. Deciding on the freelance model can lead you to fulfill anyone's dream of working than you really like, so cheer up, with this little guide you are closer to reaching your dreams.

Best websites for online courses

trends

In these times of accessibility and constant changes, the education sector is one of the areas that keeps growing constantly. On the one hand, we have the power to learn about any subject that we want and on the other hand, the need to continue acquiring new knowledge to be prepared for the demands of the labor market that in the field of marketing and design, are in constant development and also bring constant innovations that we need to know. What are the advantages of online courses. Thanks to technology, which has allowed us to create new tools to stay connected and interact in the present time, a lot of learning platforms have emerged. According to Technavio, a market research company, the forecast for 2023 in the global e-learning industry will exceed $240 billion, with a projected growth of 7% per year. At first, studying online can be complicated, as it is an new system for some people and it highly depends a lot on your commitment to a study routine. However, I want to show you a few advantages so you don't get discouraged: It doesn’t require travel, so you save time and money. It's perfect if you have to combine it with work or any other activity: you are the one who controls your schedule and you have more flexibility to finish your assignments. The variety of courses you will find is practically infinite. You can specialize in almost any subject. They allow you to continue training with the most up-to-date content. Many of the courses are offered by great institutions or the best universities, so you can be sure that the teachers are the best in any field. They offer a degree or a certificate that endorses your knowledge, which is perfect for expanding your curriculum. The training can be as individualized as you want. Most courses, in addition to private lessons, put you in direct contact with your teachers and tutors. Most courses generate a community on forums and social networks. This will allow you to keep in touch, network, have a place to lean on your professional colleagues and why not, continue to grow as a family. Differences between MOOC and online courses. Before helping you find your next course, I'd like to tell you that among all the study platforms you'll find, there are two options: the regular online courses or MOOCs. What are their differences? MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses are online courses with massive participation, without a maximum number of participants. You sign up and follow a specific course at your own pace. There are control sessions, free online sessions, tutorials for your questions and communication is encouraged between participants in SM or discussion forums to improve the study experience. Online courses: These are study options with a limited number of places. As with the face-to-face courses, you must sign up before places are filled and the courses are held with specific start and end dates. Communication and interaction is generally only done within the platform. They can be of any type: seminars, workshops or longer courses, which differ by their duration, program and area. To help you find the best options for online study, here is a list of the best learning platforms. List of the best websites for online courses. Coursera This website is one of the most popular ones. It was developed by academics from Stanford University in 2011 and teaches you through entertaining videos, interactive quizzes and exercises on the platform itself. Some of the most important American universities collaborate in the selection of the contents. The topics are very varied, but they are specialized in programming, business, marketing and human resources. Miríada X It is a Spanish platform that promotes knowledge in Higher Education in Latin American countries. It collaborates with the Universia portal and with Telefónica Learning Services, which develops learning processes in people and companies. You can search by educational center or by subject and they are specialized in health and welfare (psychology, medicine, education), business, marketing and politics. Udemy It has one of the most intuitive and easy to use interfaces. Udemy provides tools so that the users themselves are the ones who create a course. All courses are taught by great professionals, mostly from the technology, business and personal development fields. You will also find many courses on photography, programming, design, etc. EdX It is an open source software based platform. It offers courses, MOOC and Micro-masters in English. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2012, it was intended to be a place for the exchange of knowledge and research of this university, but it opened as a non-profit teaching platform and today it collaborates with more than 130 institutions worldwide. The design of the website was very well crafted to allow the user to enjoy the best educational experience. The topics of the courses are infinite. Khan Academy It was the mother platform of EdX. Its founder is Salman Khan, a graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, who in 2006 challenged himself to "provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. His courses are translated into many languages. They are aimed at adults, but also at primary and secondary schoolchildren and cover four areas: mathematics, economics and finance, science, computers and the arts and humanities. This platform indicates the progress of each one of its users. Domestika It's the biggest online community for creatives. It works as a social network where designers, illustrators or videographers show their portfolios, look for work and offer training based on their own experience. You will find above all courses in Illustration, photography and video, design, 3D Animation, craft... You can literally learn to do what you want as anyone within the community because they are courses created by the artists themselves. Skillshare Like Domestika, it is an online learning community. It is American and teaching is also done through educational videos. The disciplines it handles best are illustration, photography and design, but the variety is very wide. Tutellus It is an app and at the same time a Spanish-speaking community where users are both teachers and students. The app boasts of being the largest low-cost online training platform on the market and offers practical and simple courses and MOOCs. Its main areas are technology, business, productivity, culture, cuisine or languages, with specialties for each of these groups. Google Digital Garage It's a very interesting initiative by the technology giant. It offers free, continuous training to people who need to enter the world of work or update their skills. With its training programmes and free Google courses, you can learn digital techniques and resources in three main areas: Professional Development, Digital Marketing and Data & Technology. You will find courses on productivity, commercial communication, e-commerce, Google Ads, internet behaviour, app development... Udacity It is an educational organization founded by Sebastian Thrun, David Stavens and Mike Sokolsky that started in 2012 with a course on search engine construction and another on robotic car programming. Since then its educational offer has not stopped growing, specializing and diversifying. It offers MOOCs focused on the field of new technologies. Future Learn It’s the first open platform of British MOOCs. It was created in 2012 by the British Council together with some of the best European universities. During its history, it has joined forces with other institutions such as the British Museum, British Council, British Library, ESA, BMJ and the National Film and Television School to offer courses of all kinds: technology, history, politics, health, psychology... Although the training is free, you can get certificates that validate your performance in almost all courses by paying for the degree. Floqq It is a mobile, very usable and versatile platform that offers most of its courses in Spanish. It was created so that teachers could teach 'everything that is not in the books' and it is designed for three user profiles: teachers who upload courses on specific subjects, owners of premises that offer teaching spaces and students. With Flooq you can select your interests, your preferred channels, design your own itineraries and later accredit and certify your knowledge. You will find contents for children, for entrepreneurs, or to broaden your knowledge in all kinds of subjects. Kadenze It offers short courses and seminars in collaboration with leading art institutions around the world: Princeton University, Stanford University, institutions such as the California Institute of the Arts, UCLA, Otis College of Art and Design, California College of the Arts, and many colleges and industry partners. Although their forte is the arts, you can also find online courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, Design, Music and Mathematics. The technology platform allows you to analyze and measure student performance and progress as you complete your courses. It's time to take advantage of technology and invest your time in training; If it's at your pace, it’ll sure to taste a lot better. Just remember this: you must be constant and responsible. Do not to leave everything to the last moment and above all not to abandon it halfway through. Keep growing. Enrich your knowledge.