#(although to be fair this is inherent with this custom; you try to make everyone happy by having at least one kid named after a parent)

[cute-chamomile]

I know I've written a lot of poetry around names in my time but the concept is genuinely just so interesting to me

[variousqueerthings]

something very aromantic coded in s2 of good omens is that crowley and aziraphale canonically take their cues of what a certain kind of relationship ought to look like from books and films. firstly, very relatable, I did much the same thing throughout my teens (and in some ways still do although I'm not trying to make myself "fit" by taking cues that I've been studying to be the correct way to do a relationship, I just enjoy performing them in the same way all life is performance when you're not-doing-body-and-relationship-to-other-bodies correctly inherently)

secondly, how it plays out in them messing unintentionally with nina and maggie. they don't understand the structure of nina's and maggie's whole thing as it applies to the reality of relationship structures in the world they're in; that nina is initially in a romantic relationship and wouldn't just jump from it -- no matter how bad -- straight into another one that was presented as "more" correct. because of course standing under an awning or dancing at a ball makes people "fall in love" (whatever that is) because... well, that's how it happens in the stories all the time, that's what these sorts of relationships are all about, "one fabulous kiss and we're good" -- it's a shock to crowley that he misread all the cues "you were crying and she was..." isn't that what this romance thing is that humans are always talking about????

thirdly it of course eventually circles around to be about what in the world their relationship is, but when they're trying to figure out what's going on between the two of them, there aren't any words that can neatly sum it up beyond "us" -- whatever it is, it's "us" against "them" (although aziraphale isn't quite ready for that) -- the them being heaven and hell of course, but to be honest, from an aro perspective, the "them" takes on certain human connotations to me as well, because it's all about how these two don't fit into structures and are punished for this not-fitting-in, and while they're not punished by the humans around them, they also aren't... human. they still operate somewhat from the outside of everyone else, even though aziraphale manages throughout history to create a fair few connections from the sounds of things

similarly to how they do it to nina and maggie, they try on these tropes with one another: aziraphale invites crowley to dance, crowley kisses aziraphale, and it doesn't fit quite right (the first because crowley is concerned with all the demons outside and so isn't paying as much attention to the dancing part of the whole thing, and the second because [insert another bunch of analysis here that's its own post]), but they've already been us the whole time. their attempts at explaining using alloromantic shorthand fall short, because they're hampered by needing to define themselves and their relationship with terminology that's suitably correct for whatever dominant structures they're in

fourthly, the fact that their cues for what their relationship needs to be shouldn't even really be coming from movies/books and humanity in the first place, it should be coming from gabriel and beelzebub. gabriel and beelzebub don't even try all of that "this is what romance is," they don't call one another romantic or kiss or even say words like partner, they're not interested in doing human-based customs or "fitting in." their language for one another is based around that song, and that's as much defining as it needs. whatever aziraphale and crowley are to one another is equally all their own thing, but aziraphale and crowley struggle with definitions constantly. they don't fit into heaven, they don't fit into hell, and humanity -- while more the place they've adopted for all its wild wonders -- isn't quite right either, because they're still being put in a box

it was fun to look out for as I was rewatching, because the way they interacted with alloromanticism really did read like two people who have exactly zero idea of how this applies irl, but that's okay, the fiction's got it handled, all they have to do is copy-paste = result, but then the stuff that actually is the romance in those texts becomes a series of contextless tropes, kind of like how amatonormativity often has those exact same tropes recycled in story after story that can't figure out why it worked the first time but not the next hundred times, except in this story it's on purpose. one fabulous kiss did not in fact solve things at all (nor was it fabulous)

[teine-mallaichte]

You know what irritates me in dragon age? Ok a few things but going to focus on one thing here, the languages... so we have all these diverse places, each with heir own fashions, customes, accents, etc but everyone speaks common (or trade which although in some codexes is said to be different seems to be basically treated interchangeably in the games).

Only a few places are said to be bi-lingual, implying that their own language is still used.

Also the inherent cultural differences between places are shown or mentioned and then totally forgotten about... In every game we get a diverse group of people with differing back grounds and yet there is almost never any language barrier of cultural misunderstandings, and even when they are they seem to be glossed over. Sten is about the only one I can think of where the cultural differences are even vaguely explored.

I want to see situations where characters are totally confused by what’s happening, where they don’t understand (or misunderstand) local phrases or dialects, where they fear making social forpars due to the inherent differences in their native societies – or simply in their upbringings.

Alamarri died out in Ferelden and now everyone speaks trade and/or common, fine, ok. But in the real world when this sort of thing happens people often try to reclaim the language later, so there should be places where the language is still used, even if only for certain phrases like the elves use elvish. Or maybe there are scholars who still speak it? I used to live in Scotland, believe me although Gealic is a “dead” language people still use it in certain places and situations, same in Ireland, and in Wales there are signposts, TV channels, and radio shows in Welsh… It feels like Alamarri should definitely still exist and have some sort of presence. Ok as you may be able to tell from my user name I may be biased when it coems to this example...

But the same goes for Ander. I think Anders should have been able to speak it at the very least, and the fact that many of the Darkspawns name come from Ander should be seen as more of a thing. In a way it would make some sense for the Grey Wardens to be taught at least some Ander during training due to their history.

And Alsahiria, given the politics and history of Seheron it makes some sense for this language to be slowly dying out, but I feel it would still be spoken in remote areas and likely by members of the Fog Warriors. Some may even see the continuation of the language  as a form of rebellion and carefully hold onto it. I wouldn’t be all that surprised in a fair number of slaves in Tevinter could speak it, using it as a way to communicate in secret.

Antivan… well to be honest Antiva is just fascinating in general, but their language is under used. It considered one of the most poetic and beautiful of Thedas, and yet it mainly only spoken in the rural and poorer areas. That seems like a shame… I mean yes the Codeses do imply that the higher members of society can and do speak it, but they also imply that in the cities common is almost exclusively spoken.

Did we even hear Zevren speak Antivan? I don’t remember him doing so, but I could be wrong.

I’m going to skip Avvar for now because there is a LOT to unpack there… same for Chasind and Ciriane.

The Drawves are said to have several languages, including Trade, and the language spoken specifically in Orzammar (often incorrectly referred to as Drawven), but to be honest I don’t think we know much about any of the Drawven languages… which is a shame.

Elvish is another complex one as it makes sense why that one is essentially lost beyond a few key terms and a few phrases known by the Dalish. However, I feel like it’s one that has potentially to be, at least partly, reconstructed… there are ancient elvish ruins and artifacts, though of course as with all reconstructed languages it would never be what it once was.

Qunlat, finally an actual language that although not used much is definitely a distinct language with significance and logical usage. We even get to hear it used a few times, though only for the odd word or line it at least makes sense.

Orlesian, again a language that is referenced and appears to be in regular use. It’s said that most Orlesians are bilingual. So it makes sense that they tend to use common around the player, but it feels like the language could be utilised more.

Rivaini… You know what we know far less about Riniani than I realised when I started this mild rant… They essentially have thie rown religion, and the only peaceful Qunari settlement that I can think of, but there’s language… very little seems to be mentioned. It would make sense that it is still spoken those given their general culture and identity, it is likely that they are bi-lingual in a similar way to Olaris.

Tevene… ok this one is my main bug bear… So it’s said in the codexes that Tevene is essentially a dead language, certain phrases still exist (many swear words) and it’s used by the elite as a show of status  but everyone mainly speaks Trade – which once again is meant to be slightly different to common. But just look at Tevinter society, the idea that they don’t retain their language, or a modern variant, at least for things like ceremonies, ritual, and events seems unlikely. The most we really hear of Tevene in Fenris swearing. Which is another thing... The guy literally only has memories of being a slave and then been on the run (with a short period with the fog warriors in between) there really should be some serious cultural/social/linguistic barriers there.

This… this got away from me a little and escalated lol, but ye… this irritates me probably more than it should… and I haven;'t even ccovered ALL the lagunages. Anyway, i this I think is why I keep trying to crowbar language and cultural differences into AUs.

[mimeparadox]

The New Half-Truths about Corsets

As true as it is that corsets are often misrepresented in audiovisual and written media, and as glad as I am to see people defending them, GOD, am I annoyed by the current discourse.  Not because the defenders are wrong —they’re not, in general terms—but because Twitter, Instagram, and their incentivitization of easily digestible sound bites over nuance haves stripped the conversation from all the complexity inherent in a subject as big as corsets. In seeking to be more accurate, corset defenders have often just muddied the water further, with a brand-new set of half-truths.

Here are my favorite (least favorite) talking points.

“Corsets are literally just bras!”

As a cis dude, I’ve never had reason or occasion to wear bras. I have worn corsets, though, and let me tell you, things like having to take off one’s boots after one has been out in the snow while wearing a corset is work—moreso, I imagine, that if I’d been wearing a bra. Actually putting on boots before a corset? Even harder, enough that “boots before corsets” is a common bit of advice. Corsets aren’t torture, but they do force one to rethink how they interact with the world, in ways different than bras do.

To be less glib though, yes, corsets could and did provide the sort of breast support that is now provided by bras. This doesn’t render the multiple differences irrelevant! For one, breast support is the one thing bras are meant to do: with corsets, it is secondary or even inessential, evidenced by all the corsets that do not provide breast support, such as corsets for men, old-timey corsets for kids, and underbust corsets, which are still definitely corsets.

(Megan Fox in Jonah Hex, wearing a corset that is doing exactly the same thing as a bra. Yes, I know it’s not historically accurate; that is not the point.)

What most miffs me about this argument is that it is exceedingly reductive, and displays simplistic thinking regarding both corsets and bras. Because yes, corsets were like bras…and? What is this argument trying to say, given that bras their own baggage?  Is the argument that corsets aren’t torture because corsets are bras? Plenty of people find bras uncomfortable, and something to be abandoned as soon as it becomes feasible. Corsets were purely practical because corsets are bras? Plenty of bras exist for primarily aesthetic purposes—some even do a fair amount of shaping. In the end, both garments have complicated, multifaceted, and distinct features, histories, and semiotics, and trying to equate them in a single sentence says nothing useful about either of them.

“Stays are not corsets!”

Amusingly, this argument seems somewhat incompatible with the previous one, given that stays have much more in common with corsets than with bras, but here we are.

Yes, 18th- and early 19th-century stays are significantly distinct from the corsets that we see later in the latter century, and if someone wants to don Bridgerton-inspired looks that accurately reflect Regency fashions, they should not look at Victorian corsets to obtain it.  And yes, one can make the case that stays and corsets were entirely different animals.

Here’s the thing, though: historically, that’s not a case that people made. Corsets are we know them weren’t considered to be a completely different thing from stays, but rather a different style of stays—two different breeds of dog, perhaps, but dogs all the same. Once the term corset entered regular parlance, the two terms were usually used interchangeably, as can be seen in multiple 19th century documents, including technical ones where differences between the two, if they existed, would have been noted.  

The Duties of a Lady's Maid: With Directions for Conduct, and Numerous Receipts for the Toilette (1825)

English Patents of Inventions, Specifications, 1865, 3186 - 3265 (1866)

----

What’s more, it’s not until very recently that people began treating stays and corsets as altogether different things. Gone with the Wind, the book? The terms corsets and stays are used interchangeably.  The Oxford English dictionary? Describes stays as a sort of corset.  The longest-lasting site dedicated to corsets on the internet calls itself the Long Island Staylace Association, with no indication that doing so represented an inaccuracy on its part.  Sure, Elizabeth Swann should have properly said “You like pain? Try wearing stays”—at least it one wanted to be more accurate (if not good: good writing is partly about making oneself understood). But speaking here, and now, looking backwards? Very few people are trying to be that precise.  

Additionally, it’s worth noting that corsets have had a variety of styles and features throughout history, and the term is by no means exclusive to what we most often see as corsets. The S-shaped corsets from the Edwardian era are very different from Victorian corsets, as are the more girdle-like garments that followed. While not everything is a corset, I’ve yet to see a convincing argument that the term isn’t broad enough to include 18th-century stays.    

Tightlacing, Part 1: “Almost nobody did it”

Statements about tightlacing annoy me more than most, largely because they involve clearer instances of wrongness, but also because they hit closer to home.

Tightlacing has always been an imprecisely defined term: Lucy Williams, one of the best-known contemporary champions of corsetry, talks a little bit about the various ways the term has been used in her post “Waist Training vs Tight Lacing – what’s the difference?” found on her site. Usually, it refers to a quantitative measure—your corset must reduce X amount to be considered tightlacing—although recently, the discourse appears to have adopted a more qualitative definition, applicable to any instance where someone is shown displaying discomfort at being laced into corsets, regardless of how tightly they are (or aren’t) being cinched.

(Left: Moi, wearing a custom corset from The Bad Button Corsetry; Right, Upper: Scene from Bridgerton; Right, Lower: Scene from Enola Holmes)

----

Take, for example, the scene that has most recently caused a stir, from Bridgerton, where the character Prudence Featherington is seen grimacing as she is laced into her corset stays corset, while her sisters wince in sympathy and their mother, Portia, insists that she be laced tighter. Others have raised objections to this scene, focusing mainly on the fact that Portia’s mania for a smaller waist is anachronistic and makes little sense given fashions that de-emphasize the waist, but fewer have noted that for all the hemming and hawing that is being done by the characters, Prudence’s figure is ultimately not all that compressed, and seems perfectly in line with everybody else’s. Is what is been done to her tightlacing? A lot of people appear to think so! And yet, that assertion carries some implications. If Prudence is being forced to tightlace here, is everyone else with a comparable silhouette (again, pretty much everyone) also tightlacing?  The answer is kind of important, especially if one also wants to claim that tightlacing was rare.

It’s worth noting that Valerie Steele’s The Corset: A Cultural History, one of the seminal works on corsetry throughout history, doesn’t actually attempt to make a case for the rarity of tightlacing. What it does attempt is to determine the accuracy of claims that women regularly laced down to 18 inches, 16 inches, or even smaller measurements, which is not quite the same thing. When exploring the question by looking at collections of surviving corsets from the era, the book has this to say: "Statistics from the Symington Collection [...] indicate that out of 197 corsets, only one measured 18 inches. Another 11 (five per cent of the collection) were 19 inches. Most were 20 to 26 inches.” While Steele readily admits this is hardly conclusive evidence, she took it as a sign that women with 16-inch waists were nowhere near as common as accounts suggested they were.  Case closed, asked and answered, no one tightlaced, right?  

Well, no.  

Again, it comes down to definitions. Even speaking quantitatively, very few people define tightlacing as “lacing down to nineteen inches or fewer” (certainly no woman in Bridgerton is that tightly laced). The consensus, rather, is that tightlacing is not about the size of the corseted waist, but about the size of the reduction. How much people cinched, however, cannot be determined by looking only at corsets, because doing so requires not only those corsets’ measurements (and even those don’t tell the whole story, given that they don’t necessarily indicate how tightly they were worn) but also the starting measurements of the people wearing them.

In other words, say someone with a 33-inch waist uses corsets to reduce their waist measurement to 25 inches. This, according to most definitions, would be considered tightlacing—a 24% reduction!—and yet the absolute measurements would be nothing to write home about. How is that reflected in Steele’s sample of corsets? Impossible to say. A 25-inch corset could also be worn by someone with a natural 27-inch waist.

What, then, can we say about the frequency of tightlacing? Well, if we’re talking about dramatic reductions of, say, more than four inches (a two-inch reduction, by the way, can look like this—again, more dramatic than what we see in Bridgerton) one can say, with a fair level of confidence, that it was probably not the norm. And yet, “not the norm” is itself a very broad category, and given the numbers involved, “a minority of people” can easily still be “loads and loads of people”, as seen, for example, with COVID-19. Even if two percent of the population who wore corsets tightlaced, that’s still hundreds of thousands of people—hardly “almost no one”, as some argue. And if wearing corsets as seen in Enola Holmes or Bridgerton counts as tightlacing, the number becomes even higher.

Tightlacing, Part 2: “Tightlacing is bad”

Perhaps not coincidentally, another element of the current corset discourse involves taking all the baggage usually assigned to corsetry in general and applying it to tightlacing instead. Corsets are not painful, goes the argument, but tightlacing is. Corsets are not unhealthy, but tightlacing is. People could do everyday things in corsets, they’ll say, but not when tightlaced. Arguments made against corsets in the 19th century were slander made by people who just hated women (another half-truth I have little time for), but are apparently utterly unobjectionable when applied to tightlacing. This, as many modern-day tightlacers will tell you, is bullshit, but it feels like an especially odd argument to make in light of everything else.

As in, what is the point? It feels a lot like saying “I’m not sex-negative, but having sex with more than X partners is icky.” And given the history-focused slant of the current discourse, it’s safe to believe that most people arguing against tightlacing are not people who have attempted it. There is, however, an existing community that will happily tell you, based on personal experience, what tightlacing is actually like.

So from personal experience: tightlacing may not be like wearing a bra, and there are definitely some considerations that you have to take while doing it— getting dressed, sitting down, and eating are all done differently when tightly laced—but this is more logistical than anything, and also applies to other things—running in steel-toed boots is much different from running in sneakers, and the advice when doing the former is often “don’t”. Additionally, the margin for error decreases the more tightly laced one is, but corsets aren’t special in that regard: proper care is much more important when one is flying a commercial jet than when one is flying a one-seater. But yes, you can do physical activity while tightlaced. Not necessarily the sort that you could do in exercise clothes, but then, the fact that suits are not optimized for running doesn’t make suits bad.

Tightlacing, in the end, is not really different from wearing a corset. Some people will like it, some will not, but ultimately, how pleasurable or how unpleasurable it is (it’s very pleasurable, in my book) depends on what you put into it, and that’s something quite a few people—not a majority, but also not “almost nobody”—who are often far more tightly laced than people in movies, would attest to, if people listened.   

[dramallamadingdang]

I never liked TS3, but your recent gameplay pics makes it seem so fun. How many packs do you have? Do you play with any mods? This is unrelated, but I was wondering what are your opinions on Sims 4? I am asking because I love sims, but don't enjoy anything beyond sims 2 and it is becoming increasingly difficult to play the game on modern computers. My playstyle seems to match yours, so I would like to know your thoughts.

You know, I didn’t like TS3 for years. I think it was because I really wanted it to be TS2, only better. Like, the same exact game only with better graphics, more freedom with the open world, etc. When I tried to play TS3, I was spending so much time comparing it with 2 that I couldn’t appreciate it on its own merits, as a completely different creature. Which it definitely is…

And I babbled a lot (What a surprise!), so I’ll cut the rest. I just woke up, so pardon my incoherent rambling. :)

Once I finally accepted that TS3 isn’t TS2, I started to enjoy 3 a lot more, and then I started to discover its own unique strengths. Because it does have strengths over TS2 – gardening and its tight integration with cooking, for one, plus the adventure-vacations and, oh yeah, HORSES and the other pets that, annoying routing aside, are just better than TS2’s – although there are many things that I like better in TS2, of course. Primarily building. I love building neighborhoods from the ground up in TS2. Doing that is why I got the game in the first place. In TS3? I HATE BUILDING WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS. (So I’m really thankful for the people who enjoy making custom worlds! :D ) I just want to open up a fully-built, ready-to-go, but unpopulated world -- and if it’s populated I just nuke everyone with Master Controller -- and play TS3 because its gameplay is actually really fun, IMO, once you stop expecting it to be TS2. Now, to be fair, I haven’t gotten tired of TS3’s gameplay probably because I haven’t been playing the game for a solid decade, so I haven’t done all the stuff a million times yet. But in TS2, I’m starting to find the gameplay really tiresome, even with all the mods to make it more interesting. So, I break up the tedium with building, while my “playing batteries” recharge. I can see me coming to a point where I’ll stop wanting to play it, though, and just want to build in it and make stuff needed for what I build. But I still have fun playing TS3, so...yeah.

Anyway, I have all the TS3 EPs, and I kind of consider all of them essential because they all add bits (or large chunks!) of gameplay that I like. I only have one of the stuff packs – High End Loft Stuff or something? – because the base game I bought had that bundled with it. I have also *ahem* acquired *ahem* all of the store worlds and the interesting-to-me store items. (Like the canning station and the gardening/greenhouse/farm stuff and the glass-blowing/jewelry-making and the bakery set and the OFB-like stuff and…Well, you get the idea. :) )

And I have many, many mods. I have more mods than anything else, when it comes to third-party content for the game. I have pretty much all of the NRAAS mods, some of which – like Master Controller, Error Trap, and Overwatch – are essential for keeping the game running smoothly, and some of which add fun stuff. Like Traveler, which makes it so that you can have Sims living in multiple worlds in a single save (sort of like a neighborhood + subhoods in TS2), and you can bounce between them. It’s probably my favorite mod of them all. Other non-NRAAS faves involve gardening/cooking, whole packs of new plants for growing new ingredients that are needed for new recipes for the game, including cuisines for different cultures. (Greek, Indian, Mexican, etc.) Still others add more abilities and interactions for children, toddlers, and babies. 

And then there’s the “adult” mod, “Kinky World,” which adds realistic animated sex and various sorts of stuff for grown-ups. I have much of it disabled because I’m not interested in having things like rape and incest and bestiality in my game, but I’m OK with drug use and sex work and especially the customizable menstrual cycle that makes baby-making far more realistic, in addition to various services added to the hospital rabbithole (sterilization procedures for both sexes as well as some sex reassignment procedures), and…Well, I confess that the flashers amuse the hell out of me, specifically different Sims’s reactions to them. *laugh* The “Kinky World” mod certainly isn’t for everyone and it does throw errors and such and the admins on the NRAAS forum really poo-poo its shoddy coding, so you probably shouldn’t use it in a save that you really care about keeping around long-term, but if you’re into that sort of stuff and you’re just screwing around (pun intended :) ), it has some interesting features. I wish I could have the menstrual cycle from it all by itself because that’s mostly why I use it.

Overall, when it comes to TS3, I think you sort of have to find your bliss with it. Go into it with an open mind, explore the game unmodded for a while, try out various aspects of its gameplay, and then decide what you don’t like and look into how to fiddle with it with mods and CC and such. Like, I thought I’d hate the whole Story Progression thing – and I would hate it, in a TS2 context – but in TS3 I actually enjoy losing (some) control over my playables when I’m not playing them. It adds randomness, sort of like things like ACR does in TS2. That said, EA’s story progression sucks in various ways. Get NRAAS’s Story Progression. It’s huge and has a scary-looking learning curve but also has extensive documentation on the NRAAS site as to what everything does, and once you get used to it, it’s really cool. You can basically decide, on a very detailed level, which things you’re OK with the game deciding as opposed to you deciding, so you can get rid of the annoying things about EA’s progression while still keeping the general idea of it.

So…yeah. Play the game with an open mind, with a “I’m just testing” sort of mindset. Find out what you do and don’t like about it, on its own merits, and don’t just assume that the things you like in 3 will be the same as the things you like in 2 because they very well might not be. Then spend time exploring mods and CC (and prepare to be enraged by Adfly and such! :P ) to change how the game works and what it looks like and stuff like that.

I did a lot of experimenting over the course of various stabs at the game over the years, trying to find something to like. I quickly discovered that the “build-a-city-esque” way I generally play in TS2 was out because I hate building in TS3, but I also discovered that, like in TS2, I’ll get bored if I only play one household all the time. So, I do still like a rotational set-up. Happily, it is pretty simple, with NRAAS’s Story Progression’s “caste” system, to do rotational play in TS3. (There’s a “how to set this up” tutorial of sorts here.) This is what I found that I like best; I’m still in the process of fiddling with the Story Progression settings for non-active playable households, to determine what level of control over them I really want. (Turns out, it’s less control than I thought I’d want, but there are still some things that I don’t want to happen without my consent.) Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is to, at first, play some “throwaway” saves in the game that you just experiment with stuff, to find worlds you like (I highly recommend My Sim Realty’s worlds because they’re CC and store-content free as well as well-constructed – no lag – and attractive) and to find out what you like in terms of gameplay. For you, it might turn out that you like nothing…or you may find that you like a lot of things. And, yes, TS3 still runs well (when modded to fix some of its inherent flaws) on modern machines. I mean, EA still sells it, after all, so it kinda has to. :)

And finally, speaking of inherent flaws… I think TS3 is the proverbial red-haired stepchild of the franchise mostly because of two things:

One, while it has grand ideas – i.e., the fully open world – it’s just not executed well. For instance, there are many construction errors in the EA worlds that cause Sims to get stuck, and when a bunch of Sims are stuck but the game still tries to make them do things, it gums up the whole works, resulting in lag, lag, lag. There are fixed EA worlds out there, though, so if you try out the game and want to play an EA world, I highly recommend finding a fixed version, so you don’t get frustrated by the world’s EA-created issues. They’re all a bit screwy in this regard, but the worst offenders are Bridgeport from Late Night and Isla Paradiso from Island Paradise. Basically, EA tried to do it all and so did most of it half-assedly. The game pretty much requires fixed worlds (if you use the EA worlds) and the error-fixing NRAAS mods in order to run smoothly. IME, custom worlds tend to run better. Not always, because some creators are just better/more experienced than others, but generally speaking. It’s probably because world creators are crafting labors of love rather than operating under pressure and a strict time-deficient production schedule. :)

Two, people were like me: They wanted TS3 to be TS2, only better, but it's not that at all. It’s a completely different game in many respects, and it seems to me that many people just couldn’t accept that. I’ve never played TS4 (so I have no opinions about it, I’m afraid), but from what I’ve seen it seems a little more 2-like, and it’s more cartoon-like (whereas TS3 was going more for realism, the pudding-Sims aside) in a way that’s more reminiscent of a “Maxis-match” TS2 game. And it’s also not the resource hog that playing a huge world in TS3 can be. So, I can see why a lot of people play TS2 and TS4 but skip TS3. I always have a tendency to zig when everyone else zags, though, and I kinda really like TS3. Go figure. *shrug*

[queenofthefaces]

Unpopular opinion: While not the best dad, I don't like how most fans keep zeroing in on Stuart for the family's problems, while Carol is almost always exempt. (On top of the notion of them both beating their kids. {1. Nothing implies that and they've been shown multiple times caring about their kids [and each other]. 2. I highly doubt Kenny would sit there and let that happen, especially with how protective he is of his siblings. 3. Complicated family relationships exist, also it's South Park})

STRONGLY AGREE | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

GOD YEAH I AGREE WITH THIS SO MUCH

I hate when fic is always “Stu left and took all the problems and now they’re doing better with just Carol”—like?? Why are y’all shucking all the problems onto Stu??

BOTH of them are alcoholics, BOTH of them use drugs, when they fight it’s BOTH of them yelling at each other and often it’s CAROL who ups it to violence. Neither of them are abusive to one another in that there’s no power imbalance between them—their fighting is equal. And in fact, despite how much they fight, they still love each other and can have moments where they’re sweet.

And neither of them, but especially not Stu, have abused their kids. The closest is when Stu accidentally took out his anger at their poverty to Karen and made her cry, and was yelling/fighting with Kevin who was fighting back. The first was an accident because he was frustrated and upset, not even at her, and the second was a mutual fight.

From the wiki: “in some episodes Mrs. McCormick berates him without direct provocation. Although he and his wife have been shown physically abusing each other, it has never been shown or implied that Stuart abuses his children. When he is sober, he is very loving and caring to his wife.”

The wiki further goes on in the “family” section to talk about how much he loves his kids too. (In the movie he had a picture of Kenny on his hELMET ;;o;;)

But. Like y’all. They’re poor. That’s where most of their issues likely stem from. Stu and Carol, despite their flaws are, in my opinion, not bad people at heart. They’re just in an incredibly shitty situation. Being poor is HARD. They’re DIRT poor. And there is a big correlation between poverty and drug/alcohol abuse and poor communities. Those things are often targeted towards poor folk who can be easy customers, are more easily manipulated/desperate, and don’t have access to ways to get professional help for addiction.

Obviously it isn’t GOOD that they’re addicts, it sucks, and it’s not w good environment for their kids to be around so much arguing and fighting. But their addictions don’t make them inherently bad or abusive people—in Stu and Carol’s case, they just need help. Help getting free from their addictions and help getting out of poverty, cause if they stay as poor as they are with no support, they’re just gonna relapse.

It’s not fair to pin the blame entirely on Stu. Like, he’s not shown to be any worse than his wife, and by blaming him, it reinforces the stereotype that it’s always an abusive husband and the wife can do no wrong. Like yeah, in real life it’s more likely to have an abusive husband, but that’s not always the case, and if you look at Stu and Carol and immediately paint STU as the bad guy? Despite BOTH of them being just as problematic? It’s an unfair assumption. Carol could just as well be the abusive one, they could both be abusive—but they’re not. Neither of them are.

I think people just want an easy solution to the McCormick’s poverty, but it’s not as easy as a bad husband keeping everyone down. It’s more complicated than that. And like anon said, the relationship between the McCormick’s is likely VERY COMPLICATED.

They love each other, but they’re aware of their flaws—Kenny knows his parents are addicts but he still loves them and knows how difficult it is to try and stay away from an easy high in their situation. They really don’t have anyone but each other, but that internal support is as strong as tissue paper.

Anyways, we need to be nicer to Stu, and to Kevin (stop putting him in prison!! He’s like 13!!) for Kenny’s sake. Let Kenny have a good dad (+brother), and a family that can be supported and allowed to get better. Part of why they’re so stuck is bc the town doesn’t give a shit about them and thinks them being poor is “just the way things are,” but if anyone cared they could prob chip in for rehab for the parents, take care of the kids, help the family get a new place away from the part of town that would have too many temptations.

Whether I portray the McCormick’s getting better or not depends on what I’m writing, but I like to picture them getting better eventually. Like, Kevin gets a job and wishes he could take Karen with him but he can’t cause he lives in a little apartment with a bunch of other guys. So it’s up to Kenny to work his ass off and get Karen out of there. (I hc that Ken moves in with Stan, bc Stan lives close by and is nice like that, and that the two of them get married so that they’d have tax benefits + be each other’s emergency contact instead of their parents. And they adopt Karen for that same reason, to keep her, legally, from Stu and Carol + bc Stan has a better salary which helps the court decide to allow the adoption. Then down the road maybe Kenny or Kevin gives their parents a kind of ultimatum, or their parents realize they’re missing so much of their kids’ lives, and they pull themselves out of their mess.)

This was p long and disconnected but YEAH. I like the McCormick’s and they deserve better, even from us fans, who tend to tear them apart bc that’s easier than trying to fix them—but I think they deserve to be fixed, you know?? I don’t think ken + his siblings would want to be taken away or have their parents taken away :/

Send me unpopular opinions and I’ll answer if I agree or not

[godrive]

Not all SUVs are born equal—so to help you pick your ride wisely; we’re going to look at the top sports utility vehicle (SUV) models available in the Philippines. Regardless of the worsening traffic conditions on Metro Manila roads, having a SUV in the Philippines can be advantageous. These vehicles perform excellently in any condition and they are ready for any challenge on the road.

Top SUV Models In the Philippines Although they’re pricier than the more famous sedans and hatchbacks, the SUV is unparalleled in terms of performance, power, and comfort.

If you’re still in the market for a heightened ride, we’re here to give you some tips on how to pick the best SUV for you, what are the pros and cons of getting a unit from the said segment, and which among the SUVs in the Philippine market suit your needs best.

For our SUV picks, we chose units based on two factors: the most affordable ones and the most popular models in the Philippines.

Why should I buy an SUV? SUVs aren’t just for politicians anymore. In the most recent years, the market has been flooded with a good variety of units as well as newer, more customer-friendly subsegments such as subcompact SUVs and crossovers.

To help you decide if an SUV is the vehicle model for you, we’ve covered some of the most common reasons why people who picked SUV’s found them a good investment.

1. To have a ride that can withstand flooding In a country as flood prone as the Philippines, even light rains can cause water levels to riser and roads to become almost impassable. Your average family car or subcompact hatch may easily turn into a submarine during a flood, but not your trusted SUV.

To measure a vehicle’s flood-busting capabilities, you need to understand two factors that affect it: ground clearance, which is the distance between the base of the tire and the axle, and wading depth or the maximum water height a car can withstand with going inside sensitive components such as electronics, engine enclosure, and air intake.

On average, your typical sedan only has around 120 millimeters of ground clearance and its wading depth only a little over it due to its body style. Meanwhile, SUVs are specifically designed to have high ground clearance of at least 200 millimeters and a wading capacity of up to 800 millimeters due heightened suspension, large wheels, snorkel, and other features.

(Read: How To File An Insurance Claim When Your Car Gets Flooded) 2. Space is king If your job requires you to carry lots of items or equipment every day—in style, of course—then a sedan’s trunk or subcompact’s hatch is not enough for you. With an SUV, not only do you get bigger cargo space, but you can also configure your car’s space to suit your carrying needs.

For starters, SUVs have an average of 650 liters of boot space, which is more than enough for your needs. However, folding the rear bench will expand it further to more than twice its normal capacity. If length is all you need, then you can put down your truck’s rightmost seats (including the front passenger seat) for maximum carrying capacity.

Are you worried that your cargo may to heavy? Have faith in your car’s engine to do the heavy work. While some smaller SUVs have a minimum of 2.0-liter engine under their hood, more gigantic rides can have 6.2-liter V8 engines that can crank out at least 400 horsepower. That’s enough power to pull a mini dump truck with full load every day.

3. To own a people carrier City cars like sedan and subcompacts are good for, well, city driving. If you own one, you can ferry up to five people without a hitch. However, those who have bigger families may tend to look at the SUV as their top vehicle choice for people transport—and we have a few good reasons why.

For starters, your midsize SUV can comfortably carry up to seven people with the 2-3-2 seating configuration. For full-size versions, the third row can accommodate up to three passengers, raising the seating capacity to eight people. A family of five can be comfortable with a midsize one and even carry enough cargo with them on the go.

Even compact SUVs have been trying to carry as much people as possible, with some units’ high-end trims offering a third-row seat as part of their package. Although it’s not as comfortable as the bigger ones, it can come in handy if you have kids on board.

(Read: Vehicle Classifications Guide: Which Segment Does Your Car Really Fall Under?) 4. Comfort, safety, and freedom If features like performance or carrying capacity aren’t your priority, then there are other reasons why an SUV is a compelling drive for you.

For starters, SUVs offer higher ceilings and bigger legroom for their occupants, giving them a better onboard experience. If you have someone else driving and you want better seating amenities, you can convert middle seats into captain’s chairs for top-notch comfort—and leg rests. Who doesn’t want that?

For safety features, your typical SUV comes with all the features that can help your everyday driving secure: anti-lock braking system, airbags, and others. In addition, they also perform great during crash tests due to the distance between the impact and the front passengers being mitigated by the engine compartment. Other extra features that are offered to more top-spec brands include blind spot detectors, parking cameras, and other safety systems in place.

Finally, its ability to navigate any terrain offers the ultimate freedom wherever you go. Whether you want to do a weekend off-road challenge, or you just need to survive the hellish traffic in the country, the SUV is well-suited to do the task you need it to do.

The downsides of getting an SUV Like everything else, SUVs are not perfect. Although they come with great advantages, some of their downsides might turn off potential buyers, especially if the latter outweighs the former. Since making decisions require you to also see the cons, here are some of the disadvantages you need to consider before deciding on an SUV:

1. They are expensive Unlike smaller vehicles, you cannot own a brand-new mid-size SUV that is below the P1-million mark. For that amount, you can get compact variants and you can only snag one if you pay in cash.

2. They are heavy gas consumers What makes city cars great is their fuel efficiency even during ¬a standstill traffic. SUVs, since they have bigger engines, do not have this advantage. There’s a reason why the term “gas guzzlers” is still latching on to the variant even with better technologies.

(Read: Fuel-Saving Tips: How To Save Gas On Manual And Automatic Cars) 3. They cost more to insure Even when they depreciate, SUVs tend to have a higher fair market value than other vehicles. Vehicles with higher price tag have a heftier insurance premium. And for those who carry more than five people—the standard number of passengers covered by the auto personal accident coverage—you need to also pay for the rest of the passengers to make sure everyone is covered.

4. There are risks inherent in their design SUVs are pretty hard to maneuver. Couple that with a high center of gravity and trying to avoid crashing into something and you have the perfect recipe for a rollover. It may not be common but there’s a possibility it might happen to you.

Hassle-free Car Insurance Compare multiple quotes in 15 seconds Save up to P10,000*

Vehicle Brand * on higher-end vehicle models What should I look for when buying an SUV? It’s easy to get swayed by sales talk if you don’t know what you want from a vehicle. To help you become more discerning with your search for your dream SUV, we’ve prepared some questions you should ask yourself and your salesman:

Size: Should I get a five-seater subcompact SUV? Compact? Midsize? Full-size? Seating: Do I need only five seats? Seven? Eight or nine? Maybe the captain’s chair? Cargo: Do I want a huge compartment size? Should the back seats fold to the floor? Am I fine with split design for the third-row seats? Drivetrain: Should I get a two-wheel drive? Four-wheel drive? Part time? Performance: Do I prefer fuel economy over power or the vice versa? Safety features: Am I fine with basic features? Or do I want top-tier safety protocols like forward collision warning, parking assist, and others? Other features: Do you want a more expensive trim with other features like sunroof, more stylish body kits, upgraded tires, more safety features? (Read: Secondhand Car Buying Guide: Tips To Find The Best Used Cars In The Philippines) Top SUVs by price 1. Mahindra Scorpio Floodbuster Price: P975,000

Mahindra Scorpio Floodbuster The Mahindra Scorpio may seem like a loving throwback to 90’s SUVs. However, don’t let its outdated aesthetic fool you. Its 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine is more than enough to take you where you need to go. This rugged ride has a ground clearance of 180 millimeter and can seat up to nine passengers.

2. Suzuki Jimny

Price: P975,000

Suzuki Jimny The Suzuki Jimny is well loved not only by the kids who grew up watching Shaider but it has a certain unbeatable charm that most modern SUVs cannot get correctly. Powered by a 1.5-liter K15B engine, this four-seater subcompact cutie can go through any punishing its driver wants.

3. MG ZS Price: P998,888

MG ZS MG’s subcompact SUV may not be as popular as other entries in the division but the SAIC-owned vehicle can go toe-to-toe with others. Underneath its hood is fuel-efficient 1.5-liter inline-four engine that is powerful enough to create a thrust of 114 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque.

4. Isuzu mu-X Price: P1.286 million

Isuzu mu-X Compared to its competitors in the midsize subsegment, the mu-X is the cheapest you can buy without compromising quality and style, it’s also great when you need to navigate a flooded area. The cheapest variant you can get is a no-frills version that is powered by a 2.5-liter 16-valve engine that has excellent durability and performance the brand is known for over the years.

5. Foton Toplander Price: P1.388 million

Foton Toplander What can the Toplander’s 2.8-liter turbocharged Cummins ISF engine can do? Not only that it can push out 161 horsepower from its core but it can also be a great hauler thanks to its three-ton towing capacity. Although it is basic, the Toplander can is a cheap alternative to more famous midsize SUVs.

(Read: Switching Your Car Insurance Provider: 4 Important Questions To Ask) Top SUVs by popularity 1. Mitsubishi Montero Sport Price: Starts at P1.499 million

Mitsubishi Montero Sport Despite being marred by controversy of the past few years, the Montero Sport still sells like hotcakes and is touted as one of the best SUVs in its segment. The third-generation version of the model has a more aggressive styling with its “Dynamic Shield” grille, with its chrome-coated details giving its sportier look over others. Other features included are blind spot warning system, hill start assist and descent control, eight airbags, and forward collision mitigation for top-spec models.

2. Nissan Terra Price: Starts at P1.504 million

Nissan Terra Although it is new to the party, the Terra doesn’t pull its punches in terms of features. This Nissan SUV borrows the same wide profile the Patrol and Navara are known for. Underneath its hood is a 2.5-liter engine that can propel your vehicle with 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. Although the basic model only comes in manual transmission, more expensive trims come in automatic transmission with manual mode.

3. Ford Everest Price: Starts at P1.521 million

Ford Everest You might peg the Everest as a nice family SUV given its durability and prevalence in the city. However, you can still slug it out against the horrendous traffic and it can carry you easily through sudden rainy day floods. The base version is equipped with a 2.2-liter inline-four engine that can produce up to 160 horsepower. If you’re not satisfied with the Ambiente 2.2L 4×2 MT, you can get the top-spec line for P2.288 million.

4. Toyota Fortuner Price: Starts at P1.597 million

Toyota Fortuner The Fortuner has always been one of Toyota’s top-selling units ever since it came out—and for good reason. This all-around midsize SUV is everything you can ask for: a robust 2.4 or 2.8-liter engine, a powerful dashboard, comfortable interiors, and Toyota’s unmistakable styling. There’s a reason why the Fortuner still remains as king even when its prices go up.

5. Chevrolet Trailblazer Price: Starts at P1.618 million

Chevrolet Trailblazer Unlike other SUVs within its category, the Trailblazer tries to get away from the whole “macho” image of bigger rides. Its more angular lines provide a sleeker contour, yet it has a commanding presence thanks to its 253-millimeter ground clearance. You can choose between the 2.5 and 2.8-liter variant and the latter comes in four trims.

[the-cryptographer]

Seifer/Zell because y'all convinced me

How long has it been since I’ve played this game, anon?!?I feel like my ideas about them are kind of up in the air, and subject to change upon closer evaluation of canon, but I had fun~ Thank you so much for the ask, anon :)

Under the cut:

What they watch during movie dates and what kind of snacks they get from concessions.

Zell’s taste in movies is probably wider than Seifer’s. Helikes all those ‘inspirational’ sports movies and screwy romantic comedies andcorny martial arts shit like Karate Kid,but I think they can both get behind action films. And obviously Zell gets hotdogsand gummies. Seifer only eats a couple of the gummies tho.

Which one gets in to a fight with the other’s parents.

Seifer. He doesn’t actually fight with Ma Dincht of course,but always fighting with Edea. Eventhough the whole sorceress thing wasn’t really her fault, she can literallynever do anything right for Seifer afterwards. Although most of his complaintsabout her are really petty and he knows this. Let him have this.

What kind of street performance they’d put on to raise money if they were stranded somewhere.

Probably Zell puts on martial arts demonstrations and Seiferis the unfortunate crash test dummy that bears the brunt of Zell’s impartialwrath, lol. He gets tossed around and thrown to the ground a lot, lol. Also,remember how in FF8 you had to synthesize all your weapons? Yeah, that’sprobably what they’d actually do for money, go bounty hunting for beasteyeballs or smthn.

How they’d be as parents if they had-a-kid/someone-forced-a-kid-on-them.

I really kind of wonder? Neither of them strikes me as superinclined to parenthood. But I think they’d do their best to rise to the task~ Ithink they’d both split responsibilities pretty much evenly for the sake offairness. Zell probably takes the kids on extended training vacations wherethey run and lift weights a lot. Seifer’s probably more relaxed and whatever about things, trying to be easygoing and not doing the best of jobs. Also he’s the one who packs the schoollunches, and bends down to fix untied shoes, and calls them ‘sweetheart’affectionately.

Who would cause the most trouble during a camping trip and how.

Zell would get into a fight with the wildlife, and Seiferwould get tangled fishing line or tree branches and vines or poison ivy. Theyare both camping failures but, upon returning to civilisation, they miss being outin the wilderness and reminisce about these adventures fondly~

What they would give each other as both a serious gift and a troll gift.

For serious gifts, they probably give each other practicalkinds of items, which ranges from things like weapons and weapon accessories toNEW VACUUM CLEANER!!! which is a passive aggressive way of suggesting thatsomebody’s not pulling their weight with the chores hmmmmm. Zell gets a newpunching/sand bag at some point, and also Seifer wakes up early one day to waitin line for hotdogs – best gift according to Zell. Troll gifts are probablyrubber chickens and custom made dolls with satiric ridiculous face scars.

Who moves in with them as an unfortunate third wheel roommate.

Idk if it’s Squall or Selphie, lol. They come over to sulk orbe overbearingly cheerful respectively while they’re on the outs with Rinoa orIrvine respectively, lol. I think both Zell and Seifer find Squall’s moodinesseasier to ignore than Selphie being :D :D  :D  and then D’x D’x  D’x  But Seifer gets really competitive whenSquall shows up so it’s kind of a tossup who’s more difficult to deal with.Quistis and Fuujin&Raijin also visit and stay over kind of regularly, but Idon’t think either Seifer or Zell find them difficult in the same kind of way.

How they feel about handholding and sudden kisses in the ear-cheek vicinity.

Probably they make a big deal of holding hands around Gardenone day just for the sake of it, and it kind of becomes a habit. It’s goodbecause both are prone to running off suddenly in some direction, so this waythe other one gets dragged along for the ride, lol. I don’t think they’re biginto surprise kisses though. They like to know it’s coming in advance.

Who’s always snapping photos and who’s pack-ratting clutter.

Yeah, I don’t think either is big into clutter. Zell’s asecret neat freak, and Seifer’s not going to mess with the tidiness. I thinkthey both like photos though. Zell takes nice photos most of the time, butSeifer’s mostly in it trying to catch Zell during those ugly moments when he’sstuffing his face or otherwise making a fool of himself. So many terrible but cutepictures have come out of Seifer’s photography.

Who hogs the bathroom in the morning and who causes toothpaste related drama.

They are both huge bathroom hogs. Taking 5 years in theshower. Preening in the mirror. ‘Should I get another tattoo?’ Neither of themgives a single shit about toothpaste and the inherent drama surrounding it though. Theyboth use the same stripe mint tube.

What their matching costumes were for that one party.

Selphie put so much effort into this costume party – decorating,getting the music right, food and drinks, all the thematics, coming up withgreat party games – and Seifer and Zell both have the nerve to show up in thelamest costumes. Like, they put on capes and fake fangs, ‘we’re vampires, Iguess’. Terrible friends. Selphie would ban them from future parties if shewasn’t so fond of them.  

If I think they’d get married and why or why not.

I don’t really see it… but I can’t exactly pin down why(?)I think their friends might be more into the idea of holding a wedding ceremonythan them, and they might cave and do it just for the sake of having a funparty with everyone, if at that point they consider themselves practically married anyhow~

Who has over a thousand unread emails in their inbox or five hundred icons on their computer desktop and how the other reacts to this gross mismanagement.

Neither of them has a thousand emails, because neither ofthem answer their emails consistently or timely so everyone has given up onemailing them, lol. Seifer’s the one with too many desktop icons though – most ofwhich are for games. Zell is lowkey bothered by the sheer number of themanytime he passes by and gets a glimpse of the computer screen, but he triesnot to let it bother him.

What their hidden artistic talents are and how appreciative the other is of these talents.

These guys? Artistic? I think not. Or maybe Seifer doodles alittle in the margins of books, and Zell thinks some of the designs are cool.It’d also be cool if somebody did something with a tattoo art AU, so in thatcase one of them might have to git gud at drawing and iconography.

What they consider each other’s most attractive quality and/or their favourite thing about the other.

I’m so bad at this *crying* I think it’s that they can be real™ with each other. That’s what appealed to me about the fic I recced before. Other than that… I think they both have moments when they’re talking really passionately about something, and it really gets to the other. D’y’know what I mean?

[topicprinter]

Having been inundated with posts and podcasts evangelizing product led growth, free trials and self-service as the newly discovered holy grail of SaaS growth, I spent some time researching the kinds of products and pricing models that are best suited to this acquisition model before making the jump on our own product. While this did initially start out as a blog post (that can be read here), I did want to cross post some of my ideas here to Reddit in a more succinct form to start a conversation and see if what I learnt coincides with others experience.The typical single digit pricing, per seat based models that worked tremendously well for giants such as Slack, Trello and Twilio have been discussed and analysed a fair number of times, but that is not the model that we are operating under. I found it much harder to find tales from the frontlines from people that had adopted a self-serve approach where the pricing model was not per seat and where the ARPU was typically in the three or even four digits per month. Surely if the general trend in SaaS purchasing was moving towards try before you buy, the advantages for the buyer should translate regardless of the pricing model.Below I will break down my main thoughts and points of consideration when moving towards a self-service model, or when considering one during the design stages of a new product.Consider your audience:While everyone is talking about SaaS buyers being much more knowledgeable now and many people having gone through SaaS buying processes many times over, I feel it is still extremely important to consider your audience and how they typically like to buy. Leads being comfortable enough, and having the time to discover your product on their own has not reached critical mass yet, and in some industries might never do so. The benefit of having someone answer all your questions for you in a 30 minute demo instead of wading through a potentially complex product for the next few hours is still very real.How quickly can you get to "Wow!" ?:Some products are inherently easy to get users to see their full value, while others are not so lucky and require significantly more effort, making it that much harder for a product designer to convince a user of the product’s benefits in the short time the average free trial user is willing to give up. Shaun Clowes (SVP Product @ Mulesoft) frames the question to consider here as "What would it take to get a new customer to a non-empty first screen ?". Think here about populating your product with the data it needs to show value, and if that data is coming from a third party how likely is your user to want to be able to give up this data and/or do they have access to this data at all ?Also consider the complexity in showing the full value of your product, and how many people need to get involved for this to happen. If the marketer that is currently evaluating your product requires a developer to embed Javascript into their website to get the full experience, you’ve just introduced significant friction that will likely result in the user giving up and moving on to something more exciting.Pre-populating your product with demo data for the user can help in overcoming some of these hurdles, but you need to consider if demo data is going to pack enough of a punch to push the user across the hypothetical free trial finish line.Pricing, trust and risk:From my research it seems that pricing is heavily dependent on the industry you are in. I’ve heard $5k ACV being the cut off point for some SaaS products, and others where this rule just does not seem to apply at all (Atlassian has self-serve customers paying $100,000+ annually).Trust definitely plays a large role here as well, where many of the most successful SaaS companies that have leveraged free trials for massive growth have been able to do so using per-seat pricing which allows the customer to build up trust in your product and your company one seat at a time. I’m not sure if it would be possible for companies like Atlassian or Slack or Salesforce to have self-serve clients paying six figure license fees if they did not employ per seat pricing enabling this kind of trust building.Maybe the question is not where the highest ACV is for you to be able to self-serve your SaaS, but rather how you can build up as much trust as possible in the least amount of time with your potential buyer ?Free trials as lead generation machines:In those cases where due to whatever reason a typical free trial + self-service model does not work (product too complex, pricing too high, etc..) a free trial could probably still be used as a lead generation machine. A free trial here allows hands-free trust building, that gets a customer through the door and their hands on your product, which can then be combined with a sales team that follows up the qualified lead to close them over the phone. A number of companies I've spoken to have employed this method successfully: Salsify, Hubspot and Sproutsocial are examples here.Product complexity & the Intro product:As mentioned before, product complexity does definitely play a role in how successfully you are able to get your free trial user to understand the value of your product. Some products are just complex by nature and making them any less complex would decrease value, in which case the idea of an 'intro' product could be beneficial. A reduced, or small subset, of your main product, attractive to your target market, no setup complexity and lends itself to being easily made into a freemium product. Upselling to your main product in-app, or through a sales team, could then be an effective source of qualified leads.An example of a good intro product is Ahrefs backlink checker: A valuable, although limited, “standalone” tool offering an insight into the power of Ahrefs and enticing the user to buy the primary product now that they have been convinced by the quality of the data. It serves as a first step into the complete Ahrefs product suite.There is more detail in the blog post here, but these are the salient points that I would recommend anyone consider that is planning on looking into PLG or self-service models for their product.Feedback and discussion on any of the above is most welcome.

[samuelpboswell]

Buyers vs. Buying Committees: Not Knowing the Difference Could Cost You

Working as a marketing or sales professional in B2B presents a unique set of challenges and hurdles. One that probably doesn’t get discussed enough is the nuance of trying to reach and engage buying committees, as opposed to single customers. It’s a hugely important distinction that too many strategies fail to fully account for. If you’re not speaking to everyone, you might be speaking to no one. And we all know where that leads.

The Expanding Buyer Committee

A buyer (singular) is a sole decision maker responsible for researching solutions, vetting vendors, and authorizing purchases. It is exceedingly rare to see this type of setup in place anymore, unless at a startup or a very small company. Given the typical weight of these decisions, several people tend to now be involved with the process, and sign-off is often required from at least one high-ranking executive. Harvard Business Review reported a couple years ago the average number of people involved with B2B purchase decisions had risen to 6.8, and it’s fair to guess that figure has risen since. As Amanda Bulat wrote in a recent post for the LinkedIn Sales Solutions* blog, “Large enterprises sometimes have a dozen or more people with significant influence on purchases.”  This creates a conundrum for the modern B2B marketer. You could theoretically execute a masterful campaign, engaging a pivotal contact at a key account with compelling and persuasive content, only to have that company choose another solution because you failed to generate awareness with another key player who held more sway.  In the interest of helping you avoid such a disappointing outcome, we’ll cover some methods to ensure you’re fully understanding, and accounting for, the buying committee.

How B2B Marketers Can Reach the Whole Buying Committee

First, you map the buying committee out. Then, you develop a plan for comprehensive engagement. Finally, you put that plan into action. Let’s break down each of these steps. (Note that this guidance generally applies when you’ve already identified specific accounts to pursue, under an ABM-style framework, although you can also incorporate many of these tips more generally.)

Step 1: Map the Committee

There is no fail-safe way to ensure you’re accounting for each influencer on a buying committee. As an outsider, there’s an inherent level of obscurity involved with this process. But there are a few techniques for gaining a much clearer view. For example:

Check the prospective account’s company website. Oftentimes, there will be an “Our Team” page or something similar, listing employees and their positions. Create your own rundown of executives and others with titles that frequently play a role in key business decisions.

Research the company on LinkedIn. There are many handy features for B2B marketers on LinkedIn, and gaining insight around buying committees is one of them. The platform makes it easy to dial up a list of employees with a particular organization, plus accompanying job titles. Then it’s the same deal as above: spot the roles that are more likely to impact the buying committee. In some cases, people will actually list this as a job duty in their profiles, removing some of your guesswork.

Ask your contacts. If you or another person on your team has an established relationship with someone who works in — or has worked in — the company you’re researching, it might not be a bad idea to ask about who in the business drives decisions, and who has their ear. 

Step 2: Coordinate with Sales

Alignment with sales is always critical for B2B marketers, but especially in this case, for two reasons:

Sales reps usually have the most direct contact with people at an account, and can get a closer read on who the influential players are. They can be very helpful with informing the step above.

Consistency in messaging is vital. You don’t want marketing content and salespeople to be sending a completely different message to different committee members, nor do you want to be repeatedly contacting the same member due to lack of communication. Formulate a plan in tandem with your partners in sales.

Step 3: Refine Your Targeting and Personas

Now that you’ve painted a picture of the buying committee’s composition, it’s time to adjust your marketing scope accordingly. When we say “refine your targeting” we mean it both in terms of how you’re delivering your content — you want to build concentrated awareness and engagement within an account, so tweak your ad targeting, email lists, social promotion, etc. to reflect — and also your tone and personalization.  Are you speaking directly to the specific individuals you need to win over? Is your content designed to create conversations within the buying committee? Does it answer questions that emerge in the late stages of a purchase decision? These are necessary questions to ask yourself in assessing whether your marketing approach is optimized for committees.

Shore Up Your B2B Marketing by Committing to Committees

Buying committees can vary greatly depending on the company and industry. As always, it’s essential to view this matter through the lens of your own context, and tap into the institutional knowledge of people who work closely with your customers and clients.  As our CEO Lee Odden wrote recently, “B2B purchasing is a team sport involving individuals at multiple levels from buying committees conducting research and making recommendations to executives with budgets to decide.” [bctt tweet="#B2B purchasing is a team sport. @leeodden" username="toprank"] Similarly, marketing to B2B committees is a team sport. Get your team aligned and focused on this objective, and you’ll be on your way to overcoming one of the toughest challenges in B2B marketing. At TopRank Marketing, we have many years of experience working with enterprise brands and helping them engage with large, distributed buying committees. Contact us today to learn more about our approach and philosophies. *Disclosure: LinkedIn Sales Solutions is a TopRank Marketing client

The post Buyers vs. Buying Committees: Not Knowing the Difference Could Cost You appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank��.

from The SEO Advantages https://www.toprankblog.com/2019/06/buyers-versus-buying-committees/

[qubemagazine]

New Post has been published on Qube Magazine

New Post has been published on https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/chain-reaction/

Chain Reaction

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

Bob Barltrop, Strategic Development Director, SWRnewstar, explains how collaboration with supply chain partners can help supermarkets lead the war on plastic packaging.

The war on single-use plastic is as emotive as it is important. TV programmes like Blue Planet have stirred the public conscience and opened global eyes to the impact of plastic waste on marine life. But beyond the rhetoric and the outrage, has the media focus on the scourge of plastic done enough to change our behaviours to protect tomorrow’s world? There’s a long way to go. Whilst efforts to reduce the use of disposable plastics are encouraging, their impact to date is a figurative drop in the ocean. We must dive deeper. It’s time, quite literally, for a sea change.

Chain game

Getting to the root of the problem is no easy task; environmental sustainability is a collective responsibility and individual behaviours – good or bad – all play their part. But some parties have a more wide-reaching influence. Take the grocery sector, for instance. In the UK, the packaging practices of mainstream supermarkets are commonly highlighted as a major driver of avoidable plastic waste. It’s a fair cop. Earlier this year, the Guardian estimated that Britain’s supermarket chains create more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste each year – over half of all annual UK household plastic waste. Their purchasing decisions fuel a powerful chain reaction; when supermarkets stock products wrapped in single-use plastic, those same materials ultimately travel through the consumer and into household waste. A high percentage will end up in landfill.

It’s a costly repeat cycle but we’re all complicit. Don’t believe me? Try this. Next time you unpack your weekly shop, separate the produce from its packaging. You’ll likely find that the plastic outweighs the perishables. It’s an unsavoury revelation that we need to challenge. Yet we’re most likely to repeat the process the next time we run out of milk. That milk – metaphorically – is turning sour. We must find another way.

However, changing consumer behaviours in a world of choice is difficult; when a bag of pre-packed apples is cheaper than buying them loose, value-focused customers will generally base their purchasing decisions on price not principles. The cost to the planet rarely enters the equation. Whilst recent research suggests the public is slowly beginning to prioritise the environment ahead of price when buying food, perhaps this is one choice we shouldn’t be asked to make. Why? Because although the earth’s wellbeing is a collective responsibility, the problem of plastic waste begins long before it reaches the consumer; it’s buried in the supply chain. And it’s an area where, in the journey from truck to trolley to trash, supermarkets play a huge role.

Making a difference

So what are they doing to combat the problem? In April, many UK supermarkets signed up to the ‘Plastics Pact’, vowing to remove ‘problematic or unnecessary’ single-use plastic by 2025 and ensure 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable. In addition, the major chains have introduced their own measures to tackle plastic. From biodegradable cotton buds and redesigned milk bottles to deposit return schemes and recyclable bag bonuses, the grocery sector is awash with high-profile innovations to curb waste. This month, one supermarket launched a scheme allowing customers to use their own plastic containers at the deli counter. These initiatives, and many more are underpinned by bold goals to eradicate plastic packaging within a decade. The ambition is commendable, but if we really want to make a difference, we need to do more – and we need to do it together.

Try something new today

UK supermarkets wield significant influence. Whether we’re shopping online or in-store, grocery chains are embedded in our everyday behaviours and have a powerful reach into consumers’ lives. They exert a similar power over manufacturers, brands and suppliers, all of whom operate at the behest of supermarkets in the battle for shelf space. This far-reaching influence gives the grocery sector an opportunity to lead on environmental change. Supermarkets are optimally-placed to drive a conversation around how packaging practices can be redesigned to eliminate throwaway plastic.

That discussion must be collaborative. It should bring together all stakeholders – supermarkets, manufacturers, suppliers, logistics providers, waste management, consumers and regulators – and facilitate an open dialogue to identify supply chain efficiencies and uncover innovations that fuel sustainable packaging. The collaborative approach would allow supermarkets to play an active role in managing – and removing – plastic packaging, rather than relying on reactive solutions that treat the symptoms not the cause. Prevention is the best cure.

It won’t be easy. Supermarket supply chains are inherently complex, bridging multiple players in the production, packaging and distribution of products. But these complexities cannot – and need not – become a barrier to progress. Innovation is possible – and we see it being applied in adjacent sectors. For example, Aldi has recently announced that it will ensure all of its own-branded packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022. This move has come after the discount supermarket began removing black plastic from its fresh produce range and redesigned its plastic pasta pots to include 95% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. And there are more opportunities for similar innovation too.

Waste: the difference

A good example of ground-level innovation is in the vital field of waste management. The perceived value of waste management is all too often minimised by a misconception that it’s simply the practice of collecting bins. Many organisations view it as little more than an operational cost. Yet it can deliver so much more. Evidence shows that progressive companies who have taken an innovative approach to waste management are unlocking value that goes beyond the price of taking waste away. They’re saving money – and they’re protecting the planet.

A good waste management partner won’t just ‘lift your bin’, they’ll ‘lift the lid on your bin’ to show you what’s inside. This is a subtle but important nuance. The true cost of waste in a business is not in the price of removing it, it’s often driven by inefficient practices that create the waste in the first place. That’s why innovative waste management partners don’t focus on the end-game of collection and disposal, they work with you to identify wasteful practices that fuel avoidable waste.

By scrutinising what your business is putting in its bins and where it’s coming from, it’s possible to pinpoint the parts of the supply chain – or internal processes – where a change in behaviour can reduce costs and eliminate waste. This proactive approach is not only a catalyst for improvement, it yields insights that can enhance the collaborative conversation with other players in the value chain. A good waste management partner won’t just help supermarkets meet their environmental responsibilities in the disposal of waste, they’ll help inspire and facilitate change earlier in the supply chain to remove avoidable waste from the system altogether.

Chain reaction

Throwaway plastic packaging is a global scourge. Its existence, in volume, is the culmination of a chain reaction in which everyone is complicit. The solution will depend on a similar chain reaction: where stakeholders from the supply chain to the supermarket chain unite to find interventions that protect the value chain of planet earth.

If we’re to succeed, innovative waste management must have a voice in the conversation.

  Chain Reaction

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

[investintheself]

The Little Book That Builds Wealth

[The Game-plan] 

1. Identify businesses that can generate above-average profits for many years. 2. Wait until the shares of those businesses trade for less than their intrinsic value, and then buy. 3. Hold those shares until either the business deteriorates, the shares become overvalued, or you find a better investment. This holding period should be measured in years, not months. 4. Repeat as necessary.

[Mistaken Moats] Chap 2 4 most common mistaken moats: 1) Great products 2) Strong Market Share 3) Great execution 4) Great management 4 characteristics of a moat: 1) A company can have intangible assets, like brands, patents, or regulatory licenses that allow it to sell products or services that can’t be matched by competitors. 2) The products or services that a company sells may be hard for customers to give up, which creates customer switching costs that give the firm pricing power. 3) Some lucky companies benefit from network economics, which is a very powerful type of economic moat that can lock out competitors for a long time. 4) Finally, some companies have cost advantages, stemming from process, location, scale, or access to a unique asset, which allow them to offer goods or services at a lower cost than competitors.

The Bottom Line 1. Moats are structural characteristics inherent to a business, and the cold hard truth is that some businesses are simply better than others. 2. Great products, great size, great execution, and great management do not create long-term competitive advantages. They’re nice to have, but they’re not enough. 3. The four sources of structural competitive advantage are intangible assets, customer switching costs, the network effect, and cost advantages. If you can find a company with solid returns on capital and one of these characteristics, you’ve likely found a company with a moat. [Intangible Assets] Chap 3 - You can��t pull them off the shelf, but they sure are valuable  The Bottom Line 1. Popular brands aren’t always profitable brands. If a brand doesn’t entice consumers to pay more, it may not create a competitive advantage.

2. Patents are wonderful to have, but patent lawyers are not poor. Legal challenges are the biggest risk to a patent moat. 3. Regulations can limit competition—isn’t it great when the government does something nice for you? The best kind of regulatory moat is one created by a number of small-scale rules, rather than one big rule that could be changed. [Switching Costs] Chap 4 - Sticky customers aren’t messy, they’re Golden The Bottom Line 1. Companies that make it tough for customers to use a competitors’ product or service create switching costs. If customers are less likely to switch, a company can charge more, which helps maintain high returns on capital. 2. Switching costs come in many flavors—tight integration with a customer’s business, monetary costs, and retraining costs, to name just a few. 3. Your bank makes a lot of money from switching costs. [The Network Effect] Chap 5 - So powerful, it gets a chapter to itself The Bottom Line 1. A company benefits from the network effect when the value of its product or service increases with the number of users. Credit cards, online auctions, and some financial exchanges are good examples. 2. The network effect is an extremely powerful type of competitive advantage, and it is most often found in businesses based on sharing information or connecting users together. You don’t see it much in businesses that deal in physical goods. [Cost advantages] Chap 6 - Get smart, get close, or be unique The Bottom Line 1. Cost advantages matter most in industries where price is a big part of the customer’s purchase decision. Thinking about whether a product or service has an easily available substitute will steer you to industries in which cost advantages can create moats. 2. Cheaper processes, better locations, and unique resources can all create cost advantages—but keep a close eye on process-based advantages. What one company can invent, another can copy. [The Size Advantage] Chap 7- Bigger can be better, if you know what you’re doing

The Bottom Line 1. Being a big fish in a small pond is much better than being a bigger fish in a bigger pond. Focus on the fish-to-pond ratio, not the absolute size of the fish. 2. Delivering fish more cheaply than anyone else can be pretty profitable. So can delivering other stuff. 3. Scale economies have nothing to do with the skin on a fish, but they can create durable competitive advantages.

[Eroding Moats] Chap 8 - 

The Bottom Line 1. Technological change can destroy competitive advantages, but this is a bigger worry for companies that are enabled by technology than it is for companies that sell technology, because the effects can be more unexpected. 2. If a company’s customer base becomes more concentrated, or if a competitor has goals other than making money, the moat may be in danger. 3. Growth is not always good. It’s better for a company to make lots of money doing what it is good at, and give the excess back to shareholders, than it is to throw the excess profits at a questionable line of business with no moat. Microsoft could get away with it, but most companies can’t. [Finding Moats] Chap 9  The Bottom Line 1. It’s easier to create a competitive advantage in some industries than it is in others. Life is not fair. 2. Moats are absolute, not relative. The fourth-best company in a structurally attractive industry may very well have a wider moat than the best company in a brutally competitive industry. [The Big Boss] Chap 10 The Bottom Line 1. Bet on the horse, not the jockey. Management matters, but far less than moats. 2. Investing is all about odds, and a wide-moat company managed by an average CEO will give you better odds of long-run success than a no-moat company managed by a superstar. [Where the rubber meets the road] Chap 11

The Bottom Line 1. To see if a company has an economic moat, first check its historical track record of generating returns on capital. Strong returns indicate that the company may have a moat, while poor returns point to a lack of competitive advantage—unless the company’s business has changed substantially. 2. If historical returns on capital are strong, ask yourself how the company will maintain them. Apply the tools of competitive analysis from Chapters 3 to 7, and try to identify a moat. If you can’t identify a specific reason why returns on capital will stay strong, the company likely does not have a moat. 3. If you can identify a moat, think about how strong it is and how long it will last. Some moats last for decades, while others are less durable. [What’s a moat worth?] Chap 12 The Bottom Line 1. A company’s value is equal to all the cash it will generate in the future. That’s it. 2. The four most important factors that affect the valuation of any company are how much cash it will generate (growth), the certainty attached to those estimated cash flows (risk), the amount of investment needed to run the business (return on capital), and the amount of time the company can keep competitors at bay (economic moat). 3. Buying stocks with low valuations helps insulate you from the market’s whims, because it ties your future investment returns more tightly to the financial performance of the company. [Tools for Valuation] Chap 13 5 tips will give you better odds of success than most investors: 1. Always remember the four drivers of valuation: risk, return on capital, competitive advantage, and growth. All else being equal, you should pay less for riskier stocks, more for companies with high returns on capital, more for companies with strong competitive advantages, and more for companies with higher growth prospects. Bear in mind that these drivers compound each other. A company that has the potential to grow for a long time, with low capital investment, little competition, and reasonable risk, is potentially worth a lot more than one with similar growth prospects but lower returns on capital and an uncertain competitive outlook. Investors who focus blindly on the popular P/E-to-growth (PEG) ratio usually miss this key point, because they are forgetting that growth at a high return on capital is much more valuable than growth at a low return on capital. 2. Use multiple tools. If one ratio or metric indicates that the company is cheap, apply another as well. The stars won’t always align, but when they do, it’s a good indication that you’ve found a truly undervalued company. 3. Be patient. Wonderful businesses do not trade at great prices very often, but as Warren Buffett has said, “There are no called strikes in investing.” Have a watch list of wonderful businesses that you would love to own at the right price, wait for that price, and then pounce. Although you don’t want to be too picky—opportunity does have a cost— remember one thing when the decision is not clear: Not making money beats losing money any day of the week. 4. Be tough. The odds are good that the world will be telling you not to invest at precisely the time that you should. Wonderful businesses do not trade for great prices when the headlines are positive and Wall Street is cheery; they get cheap when the news is bad and investors overreact. You’ll have to buy when everyone else is selling, which is not easy. It is profitable, though, and that’s the nice thing about it. 5. Be yourself. You will make better investment decisions based on your own hard-won knowledge about a company than you will decisions based on any pundit’s tips. The reason is simple. If you understand the source of a company’s economic moat and you think the business is trading for less than its value, it will be much easier for you to make the tough against-the-grain decisions required of a successful investor. If, however, you are constantly relying on the tips and advice of others without doing some research on your own, you’ll be constantly questioning whether that advice is any good, and you’ll probably buy high and sell low. The Bottom Line 1. The price-to-sales ratio is most useful for companies that are temporarily unprofitable or are posting lower profit margins than they could. If a company with the potential for better margins has a very low price-to-sales ratio, you might have a cheap stock in your sights. 2. The price-to-book ratio is most useful for financial services firms, because the book value of these companies more closely reflects the actual tangible value of their business. Be wary of extremely low price-to-book ratios, because they can indicate that the book value may be questionable. 3. Always be aware of which “E” is being used for a P/E ratio, because forecasts don’t always come true. The best “E” to use is your own: Look at how the company has performed in good times and bad, think about whether the future will be a lot better or worse than the past, and come up with your own estimate of how much the company could earn in an average year. 4. Ratios of price to cash flow can help you spot companies that spit out lots of cash relative to earnings. It is best for companies that get cash up front, but it can overstate profitability for companies with lots of hard assets that depreciate and will need to be replaced someday. 5. Yield-based valuations are useful because you can compare the results directly with alternative investments, like bonds. [When to Sell] Chap 14 The Bottom Line 1. If you have made a mistake analyzing the company, and your original reason for buying is no longer valid, selling is likely to be your best option. 2. It would be great if solid companies never changed, but that’s rarely the case. If the fundamentals of a company change permanently—not temporarily—for the worse, you may want to sell. 3. The best investors are always looking for the best places for their money. Selling a modestly undervalued stock to fund the purchase of a supercheap stock is a smart strategy. So is selling an overvalued stock and parking the proceeds in cash if there aren’t any attractively priced stocks at the time. 4. Selling a stock when it becomes a huge part of your portfolio can make sense, depending on your risk tolerance. END.

[energitix]

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of peer reviews – for instance I won’t entertain the purchase of anything on Amazon if it scores less than a four-star average in customer reviews. I’m also an advocate of enterprises seeking peer opinions when investing in new IT service management (ITSM) technology – why wouldn’t people want to know how existing customers are loving or loathing their ITSM tool?However – and it’s the big “but” moment – I’m not so sure about the growth in the creation, promotion, and use of peer-review matrices in “helping” companies in their ITSM tool selection decisions. This blog explains why, in particular how accurately these matrices can, and do, compare things.The source of this “soapbox moment”I’ve watched silently as more and more of these peer-review matrices appear in my Twitter timeline – it’s usually an ITSM tool vendor promoting their position in a matrix. One that they just happen to do well in: “Do you know that we are a leader in the such-and-such matrix?”You can’t blame them, as ITSM-tool marketing is sometimes a case of “keeping up with the Joneses.” Plus, the tool vendors who do well in these peer-review comparisons often don’t get included in Tier 1 analyst reports (yet).But I had to break my silence, and risk alienating some of the companies that ultimately pay my mortgage, after I saw a tweet maligning an ITSM tool vendor based solely on its position in one of the many peer-review matrices. The tweet made me committed to taking a closer look at the reality of these ITSM tool comparisons.The general issues with feedback requestsThink about the times you fill out feedback requests – do you fill out every one? I’d imagine not, your time is too important. You probably do what many of us do:If it was a great experience, then you probably want to recognize someone who helped you – good, or great, feedback is given.If it was a bad experience, then “heck, yeah!” you’re going to vent your spleen stating that you’ll never use that company or product/service again (guilty as charged).If it was an “okay” experience, then you’ll probably not respond to the feedback request. You have more important things to do.If it’s a long survey, then you’ll probably give it a miss. Unless there’s a prize on offer and it could be a “good gamble” – with better odds than buying a lottery ticket at least.So, we only tend to give our feedback and opinions at the extremes of customer experience and when it’s made easy to do – with tick boxes, not text boxes, making life easier.The potential issues with ITSM tool peer reviewsI’m going to throw out the “elephant in the room” at the outset. What’s to stop a motivated vendor from contacting who it knows to be “happy customers” to ask them to spend ten minutes completing a peer review for their product? Or for the peer-review company to provide a service that contacts customers on the vendors behalf (BTW, this does happen). This might sound harmless but is it (if not everyone is doing it)? Your answer might be “Well everyone could do it if they wanted to, so what’s your issue?”I’m glad you asked. Firstly, it’s sample bias – I bet vendors aren’t asking known “unhappy customers” to submit their reviews. It’s a game that can be played and, thus, the vendor/tool reviews are not representative of their customer population as a whole. Secondly, and I might be being a little over dramatic, this gaming of the system is akin to sports people feeling compelled to take performance-enhancing drugs because “everyone else is (thought to be) doing it.”Of course, the creators of the peer review matrices do what they can to ensure that fake reviews aren’t included but what can they really do about “gamed” reviews? Where people are “encouraged” to submit a review – they’re customers after all. And the more reviews received, the better for the matrix creator, and does a sudden influx of reviews for a certain vendor necessarily mean that some third-party motivation is involved? Or that vendors with smaller market shares have the most reviews? I’ll leave you to ponder this one.Where is the “trust” in peer reviews?We inherently trust our peers, it’s a very human thing to do. Many of us also blindly trust what we see “in print” – just look at the ongoing hoo-ha around “fake news.” But beyond this, does Joe Public stop to think about, and possibly challenge, the real pillars for trust for such matrices? For example:What’s the financial model? How do peer-review sites generate the revenue to pay for their operations (they don’t do it for love, like me writing blogs)? Who is paying what to whom? It might all be totally above board but surely some transparency would help with the credibility of the “research”? I think most of us know that, while Tier 1 analyst firms receive payments from vendors, most revenue is received from subscribers and thus these firms operate in the best interest of their subscribers. But is the same true for peer review sites (and ITSM.tools has the same issue in promoting “transparency”)?Is there sufficient industry knowledge? What do the peer-review sites actually know about the ITSM tool market? How do they apply this to creating the right “algorithms” for differentiating between tools, and across technology categories? Or is the same algorithm used no matter the technology category? If the peer review provider is purely focused on ITSM tools, and similar, then great. But if it provides matrices across 800 disparate technology areas and matrices – yes, I counted them for a particular peer-review matrix provider – then do they have the right number and quality of people to ensure that their ITSM tool analysis is correct? Especially when the same scoring mechanism is used for all 800 matrices.Diving deeper into an ITSM tool peer review exampleAs stated earlier, this blog is ultimately the result of a single statement based on a particular peer-review matrix. And thus, this is the one I’ve chosen to look at more closely. It doesn’t mean that my observations reflect all peer review mechanisms – I’m just trying to prove that people need to take peer-review comparisons with the proverbial “pinch of salt.”I’d also say that the same is true about any ITSM tool comparison, as what you see is based on assumptions, opinions, and particular use cases; and is not necessarily an exact match to your organization’s ITSM wants and needs.So, let’s start to dig, with the source of my information and opinions a particular matrix from late Q1 2017.The service desk matrix plotted:Satisfaction – this is “based on customer satisfaction data sourced from real users’ reviews.” It doesn’t explain what this really means – you need to go to another page for the detail – but the matrix does show the star-based satisfaction for each tool. For instance, HEAT and LANDESK (now Ivanti) scored 3 and 3.5 respectively and were plotted close to CA Technologies (a 4-starrer) in the left-hand side of the matrix. Making the relative position not just the star score but something else. Even before seeking explanation, I bet on “number of peer reviews” looking at how the scores are spread across the “satisfaction” axis – the more reviews you have, the further your 4-star rating pushes you to the right. Given my earlier comment about gaming responses, is this really a fair plotting of customer satisfaction?Market presence – this is based on “over 10 different social sources that indicate the products’ market share, vendor size, and social impact.” To be honest I’d no idea what this actually meant until I sought out the detail, but it did mean that HP Service Anywhere – a product that had been discontinued at the time (read into this what you will re market presence) – had a larger “market presence” than the LANDESK and HEAT products (whereas other analyst market share analyses have Ivanti in the top five in terms of market presence). And HP Service Manager had the largest market presence of all. I’m sure that even HP’s marketing team wouldn’t make these statements (although they would be in the top 10).On the face of it, it seems to be the more reviews you have, coupled with the user scores, the better you position. And I thus refer you back to the ability for peer reviews to be gamed – getting as many reviews as possible from happy customers.I’m not saying it definitely happens but how else would ITSM tools that many of you have never heard of get more reviews than ITSM industry stalwarts? The matrix just didn’t look right to someone who has been following the ITSM tool market for the best part of a decade (and of course the matrix I reviewed will have changed since).The ITSM tool scoring methodologyThe scoring methodology was available on “transparency”-type page. For customer satisfaction, in “order of importance” it was:Customer satisfaction (based on user reviews) – which is fairPopularity based on the number of user reviews received – which can definitely be gamedQuality of reviews – again gameable, just get the customer to write lotsAge of reviews – again gameableCustomers’ satisfaction with product attributes – unsure how subjective this is or how it’s scientifically gaugedOverall customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS)Of course, I dropped down into the individual user reviews when considering these parameters but have yet to see anything other than the stars, submitted text, and review submission-counts.As for the market presence metric, this was:Product market presence – employee numbers, number of product reviews (again), and product social-impact based Twitter followers and “domain authority”Vendor market presence – the number of company employees (based on social networks and public resources), vendor “momentum” based on web traffic and search trends, vendor social impact based on social measures, age of company (not the product?), employee satisfaction and engagement (based on social network ratings).My question to you is: “Is this really market presence?” At best, it’s social media presence and the building of a “house of cards” using third-party social media analysis which is in itself somewhat shaky. Market presence should be based on product revenues, customers, or seats/subscriptions; and by all means the movement, up or down, over time can be represented.To bring this overly-long blog to a close, I want to make and underline my point – the reason why I wrote the previous 1800 words. I’m all for peer reviews but don’t get misled by the use of the individual reviews to create something that’s probably not a fair refection of the truth. My point is aimed at both enterprises wishing to invest in a new tool and ITSM tool vendors wishing to “big up themselves.” If you truly understood it, you wouldn’t share it. If you don’t understand it, then you shouldn’t share it.That’s the sharing of what is most-likely misinformation and, however well intended, it isn’t good for anyone (maybe other than its creators).The post The Flawed Nature of ITSM-Tool Peer Reviews Sites appeared first on ITSM.tools.

https://itsm.tools/2017/08/03/flawed-nature-itsm-tool-peer-reviews-sites/

[datingadviceonreddit]

First post on Reddit. Figured I'd try and make it a good one. This is going to be pretty long, so stay with me. I'll try and not bore you to death. No promises though. You've been warned.IntroTo give you, the readers, an idea of my background and where I'm coming from. Also human beings are inherently curious, right? :PSo I'm 35, a college student (an even longer story haha), single and never been in a what you folks call an LTR. Or hooked up (I'll get to that later). At this point I'm sure a lot of people are wonder wtf is wrong with this guy. Did I get hit with the ugly stick? Do I have a hunched back?Resemble Emperor Palpatine after playing with too many matches as a child? ....Afaik, nothing. Actually got a lot of positive comments from a multitude of people, although that's always subjective. I workout around 6x a week so keep myself in a good, physical condition. I'm not a big guy, but athletic sure. I still play football (soccer), love to read, play music, speak 5 languages, into computers, science, gaming and NOT socially awkward. Bit of a mix I guess. I can talk to people no problem, even women. Had to learn that whilst working at a Laser Tag center in my late teens/early adulthood (best job ever). There just has to be a connection and until recently, never had that. They say that life works in mysterious ways. Uhuh.So, with that out of the way, I've been lurking for a long, long time and reading each post and all the topics in a lot of relevant forums in the aftermath of my recent connection (Dating, Dating_Advice, Relationships, AskMen, Toughlove, Redpill etc...). There are some great stories on here, but a lot of depressing ones too. A modern phenomenon seems to be Ghosting. The majority of people would rather have honesty, as hurtful as that is, it's infinitely better than wondering wtf and being left in the dark. It would also enable people to grow and move on. At least those capable of some intelligence. Life after all, is an ever-continuous learning experience. On the flip side of this, some people cannot handle the truth (as seen on the NceGuy subreddit).History of my 'dating'I'm not totally clueless you know, so here goes:Primary school:Chased a girl for a while and at one point got a "Would you be my boyfriend Yes/No Tick box thing'. Just don't tell anyone (haha). Later on at one point I did tell people, so I fucked it up. Still a fond memory.Temporary primary school (just moved country, 12yrs old,.finished primary school back home, but new country, new language.....had to wait for new school year to go to an International school)There was this girl that I found immensely attractive. I went to the shops and bought a single, red rose. Placed it on her desk during break time. Yes everyone knew who it was from and no, she didn't reciprocate. Was a nice gesture though.High school:I guess around 14-15 at this time. On a school trip abroad this one girl caught my eye. Couldn't stop thinking about her. Back at school I did my research and found out in which class she was in (each class had a classbook, with records of students and to keep attendance) and left her a note. If I recall correctly, I even smooth talked her address from a school administrator and sent her a bouqet of flowers. Not bad for that age, right? Things did escalate from there and during a lunch break there she was, with her friends, all started giggling when I walked outside. I approached and started talking and it went from there. Since this was the 90s we spent hours talking on the home phone and even came to my place. One memory of that was when I rode her home (bikes) and we stayed at the halfway point for hours just talking and being playful (my mom called the police on me wondering where I was, because I didn't do shit like that, just my siser). It never escalated to kissing though, as much as I wanted to. One thing that stuck in my mind was she had a history of being abused, so with that in your head you want to proceed carefully. I wasn't stupid. Inexperienced sure. How do you deal with something like that? I suppose that's one of life's regrets. What if? What could have been?High school 2Different school, just going up in the system. So there's this really really cute girl and just happens to be best friends with one of my female classmates. At one point a friend of mine started dating this classmate and I got them to put in some good words for me (Networking people, this shit is legit). So, we started hanging out, doing stuff. After school, at the park etc. Lots of kissing (wasn't me escalating, trust me). Anyhow at one point as you do at school, you invite people over for a small party/gathering. My parents are divorced, mom lived elsewhere and dad was away most of the time (work). So the house is mine. I'm 18 at this point so it's all fine. Soaking rain, met the group outside, came in etc and this girl is all wet and needed a change of clothes so she put on a tracksuit of mine. Everyone had been drinking so all good. Kindof. So we're getting hot and heavy on the couch (the group is still sitting around the table haha....no shame :P) and at one point I put my hands down her pants.....but.....BUT.....this goes on in my head "oh wait because she's been drinking I must not take advantage of her" so I didn't. She then leads me to my bedroom and we start making out on the bed, but because I was a dumb motherfucker back then I didn't escalate it (so we wen't back downstairs again). The signs were obvious, but inexperience on my part and being too 'nice' and 'gentlemanly' about it....le sigh.This was my one and only chance so far (cry) to get laid. The relationship lasted about....3-4 weeks? In retrospect I learned a lot and the fact that there are different women out there with different wants and needs. The irony of that is how different my life might have been. Maybe somewhere in a parallell universe I wasn't that dumb...And thus ends my 'dating' history, as short as it was, for the next two decades. It's odd I suppose. In the years I followed before going back to college I was working in the entertainment industry. Bars, clubs etc. Working behind the bar was really really awesome. Not just working well with your colleagues and having fun (still hard work), but interacting with the customers. Unfortunately I was never, and still not, a 'player'. I'm just me. So no 'barman hooked up with...' stories etc. No panties being thrown in my direction for free drinks...So basically that was my life. Eventually moved to an IT/logistics job, still played football, still went to the gym, still played computer games, still did my music. Then at one point I decided fuck it, and went back to college.Fast forward to nowSo I'm at the end stage of my Bachelors and it's Koningsnacht here in NL. My smartphone is tucked away in my drawer and I use Whatsapp via Bluestacks on the PC. Just easier that way. Some of my football mates are in town at the Irish Pub and I go down to meet them. I get there and they are gone. Shit. No smartphone, no way to contact them, and ofc didn't put their numbers in my flipphone. Derp. I get pissed off and go back home, figured fuck it, just as well, don't want to drink and get drunk anyhow. I did fire up my PC again and find out where they were. At this point I'm debating, because usually when I go back bad things happens (drink too much, massive hangover) but #YOLO, right? So back I go.The night was great, went to a few bars (four of us) and had a blast. I did NOT go out expecting to meet anyone. The last place we went to was a club open till 4am. Ordered some interesting mixes and had fun........and there she was. Ironically a mate of my mine was talking to the pair and I overheard where they were from and English being spoken, so I went in and took over the conversation (sorry mate). I connected with this girl from the start. Started talking about music and we had a passion for similar stuff. We moved to the side and talked all night and exchanged numbers there and then. When the place had to close I helped her get her coat and walked her home (was a fair walk, 30min easy). Her friend also had a guy with her but was busy doing her own thing. That night we ended up talking till 7am. She made some great tea with some moonshine which was at least 60%++ and just enjoyed each others company I guess. It only ended when her friend was tired and wanted to go to sleep, haha. So bade our farewells....we both went outside and she was worried for me about the rain, but being a footballer it was only a slight drizzle and it was fine. Was nice of her though. Didn't kiss her ( I wanted to, trust me), but the whole 3 kisses on the cheek thing and rode off into the sunrise...Texted her the next day and set up a date. Went on around 4 dates after that and they all went really well. We talked a lot and had fun. You just know something is right when you can communicate without any pressure. No nonsense, just getting to know each other. There wasn't non stop texting, but she'd text me ask me how my weekend was etc. After a night out that she had originally planned with her friends ( I was welcomed to come along, didn't pressure her, but she said "Well if they have issues with it (me coming along) then they aren't my friends anymore" So that was a positive reaction. She ended up coming an hour later, cause they were drinking at home first :P but we ended up again talking non stop and her friends backed off and eventually buggered off elsewhere...... At the end of that (3rd date) I walked her to her bike and made my move, slowly, slowly and we kissed. There's no feeling like that connection. Electric. And we made plans to see each other again on Sunday (this was Friday).On that date I met her where she parks her bike, kissed her and we went through town holding hands (I initiated). Took her to various places, walk through the park etc. At other points where we weren't holding hands or couldn't, she'd grab mine, so that was a good sign I thought. Things were looking up. Again ended with me taking her home, kissing. She did warn me that the following week she'd be busy (exam coming up, internship). Fair play, I'm a student myself so I know how that works. Not a problem. She'd let me know when she'd have time. People have their own lives too.Next day (Monday). Evening, around 10pm, I was already in bed, smartphone on the table....yes I had finally found a use for it.....and there's this thunderstorm going. Always enjoyed a good storm, great for getting to sleep. I get a text.....from her........saying how she enjoys thunderstorms etc (as Gibbs would say, there's no such thing as coincidence) and we flirt. I replied along the lines of how I enjoy them as well and "There's only one thing missing wink"But. Tuesday. This is where shit gets (Un)real.Because she has this exam coming up, I get it in my head to drop off a box of chocolates where she lives (as fate would have it, 10s away from where I play football....) so she has something nice to snack on whilst she's studying. I do the same behind my PC. Now, the day before she had mentioned chocolates so that's how it popped into my head. These weren't bonbons, nor anything even romantic I thought. Just a box of Jaffa Cakes that my grandma had brought over when she visted. You cannot buy them here in NL and these were my only box (goddamnit). I wrote a note to it attesting to the fac tthat these were to help her study and that her friend could have some too if she behaved. So a friendly, cheeky note, right?Tuesday evening came about. Nothing. No word. I mean, I knew it was a risk leaving the bag hanging on the door. I dropped them off on my way to the gym after all. So I asked her. She didn't get them. Shit. Someone must have stolen them. Motherf*****s. Probably some punk ass kid. Anyhow I wrote a text as such....about an hour or two later I got a somewhat scathing message back "You shouldn't have bothered cuz I won't have time for you this week etc etc etc" Woah. WTF? I knew from that moment that something was up, but she did warn me she'd be busy. I was Alright, you warned me, gl with the exam, let me know when you have time" and didn't contact her again.Few days later she contacted me thanking me for the chocolates and that another house guest had brought the bag in, but that the following week she'd be busy too with her final internship report and had already planned a weekend away with her BFF (female). Again I fired off an ok, have fun, let me know"8 days passed, no word. This is where I learned from Reddit about Ghosting. I thought shit, I'm being ghosted. No idea why. The chocolates? Really? Fuck man everyone loves chocolates, right? ShitAt the point it's feeling like a huge kick in the balls. Like someone just dropped a thermonuclear device on my ass. However, instead of pussying around I decided enough was enough. I'm taking control of my life once and for all. I've always been athletic, but started going hard at the gym. Everyday. Sometimes twice a day. Got my place sorted out, cleaned it from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny. Threw out all my old shit I didn't need anymore (still had computer mags from 1996+) and old electronics. Everything went. Everything was spotless.I even bought two new books. Modern Romance by Aziz Anshari (funny as fuck, highly recommend) and The Game (recommended by a friend). This last book is really weird though.However. 8 days came around and I did the hardest thing I've ever done in a long time. I removed her from my contacts. Broke my heart, but had to be done. Didn't really sleep that night. Very early morning I was still awake and thinking. Fuck it, fuck the rules. Who imposed these bullshit rules anyhow? I'll break them (Thanks Arnold) I'll send a final message. And being the sometimes-too-smart IT geek I am....figured her phone number might still be located in my flipphone. So switched simcards and lo and behold, there it was. Back on the smartphone I fired off a long message. Basically came down to how I enjoyed the time we spent together, regardless of the outcome. Wished her well and didn't expect any response.At the end of the day I got a response. She apologised and said she'd chickened out, how the chocolates scared her off and wasn't sure where this was heading.However, I was a great guy and she enjoyed the company. She needed time and wasn't ready for a commitment. I responded again thanked her for being brave in sending the msg and honest (well she could have kept her mouth shut, so have to give her credit). All we ever want is honesty, as much as it might suck. I did say my intentions were honourable but respected her decision. Wished her well and left with if she ever wanted to talk or grab a drink she knew where to find me.So that ends that chapter.In retrospect, the red flag during our dates was that she mentioned her ex a few times (pothead, he dumped her apparantly, didn't ask why). I should have carefully poked and prodded and found out when the relationship ended I suppose. I guess it was recent and/or other things were at play still. She had basically come to this country with him and I'll assume they were together for a while and had plans. Just a guess on my part.The days that followed were extremely hard. At times I didn't want to get out of bed. My gym time sucked balls. Couldn't concentrate, couldn't finish my routines. Gah. Then you know it's bad. Basically you just want things to end or just be swallowed up. I did a lot of ranting and raving at my mates online and they listened, had advice, as hard as it was. So appreciate all the shit I put them through (they know who they are). As Freddy put it: The Show Must Go On.It didn't end there. Oh no. Being the total dumbass I am I left her number in my phone. Two weeks after the fact I was somewhat back to normal (not really, but relatively speaking). Was going to go to the pub with a friend but he cancelled at the last minute. I figured fuck it. I'm 35, good looking, fuck sitting at home wallowing in misery I'll go out and have fun. Talk to people. This I did, up to a point. I ended up at the same place I met her. At first it was fine, busier than normal, good music, lots of good looking women around. I did contemplate at one point going up to speak to some but was in a good place at that point and just enjoyed the surroundings.ButThe alcohol started kicking in. I realised that I really didn't want to speak to anyone else and just had one person on my mind (fuck...you know where this is going). I bust out the phone and fired off a long message. In my defense, I still had some things left to say and like Rocky in Rocky Balboa (6) I had to get it out of my system. She actually responded right away (this was after midnight) and she was glad I understood, but she was confused and needed to be alone for a while etc. I responded to that (how I thought she shouldn't think that, she is a beautfful, intelligent and fun person to be with) yadeyadah. I did mean every word. I don't bullshit.In the morning I did apologise for being an annoying, dumb fuck and wouldn't bother her again and wished her well on her vacation.So there you have it Reddit. My story. If you've read all of this then fuck me you deserve a cookie. At the very least a strong drink probably.So to all of you posting how you are 18, 25 or whatever age and still haven't been laid. Trust me, things could be worse. You could be me, hahahaha. (I had my shot at 18 :P) But there's no right age either. And don't force it. I've thought plenty of times about casual hookups, or even paid services. But that's not me and never will be. Yes I've also tried online dating, but never clicked with me. I just have to keep moving forward with my own life. It's not easy though. No human being should ever be alone and as you get older, it sucks even more. You just have to keep at it.Worst part of this story is, I still think about her. Everyday. As much as I try and get her out of my frikking system, I'll be lying on a bench doing flys, or pullups on the bar and she'll pop into my head. You know how annoying that shit is? Even trying to follow The Rock's advice "FOCUS!" doesn't help. But what can a guy do ? (get laid? Thanks Reddit, very funny).On the positive side, I'm even more motivated at the gym than ever before and I stopped caring about computer games. Once I realised that I thought the End Times are truly here. Some things are more important in pursuing though. And talking is good. Don't keep shit bottled up inside, even if you have to make a Reddit post. via /r/dating_advice

[dippedanddripped]

Sarah Andelman knows what’s going down. Although Instagram is a diluted and expertly controlled view of how a person experiences the world, scrolling through the account of Colette’s founder makes it evident that the shop is much more than just a place to buy products – it’s got a holistic and inherently personal approach. There are pictures of intimate dinners, dolphin watching with the Colette sailing club, jazz nights with her son, flashes from fashion weeks, handfuls of flower bouquets – snapshots are collected from all over the world, illustrating Andelman’s well-defined taste; documenting as well as forecasting what’s happening on 213 Rue Saint Honoré. Perhaps it is fair to say that the department store, which houses around 20,000 products at any given time – from candy to Vertu phones to €30k dresses – is somewhat of a cultural movement.

Even as the Parisian landmark is nearing its 20th anniversary, Andelman still makes all the buying decisions herself, trusting hardly anything external from her gut feeling. It may seem like a big task to keep the perpetual innovation going, especially in a time where questions about ‘disrupting the seasons’ or ‘see now buy now’ strategies continuously pop up on the news feeds of emerging talent. But she keeps going, unfazed and in a laidback demeanour. Royal College of Art graduate Tugcan Dokmen, who did her BA in Fashion Print at Central Saint Martins, sat down with Andelman to find out if there’s any magic formula for a young designer to ‘make it’ and charm all fashion buyers.What makes a young designer stand out for you? Is it about how well a graduate collection is being received? Oh, it doesn’t matter how and when you get the attention. The start can be your graduate collection, or it can be your first collection when you are forty years old. I think what’s important is to bring something that we haven’t seen yet. Something very special, made of very good quality, with a message that makes you noticeable and desirable.And to keep the interest fresh, designers shouldn’t repeat themselves and keep surprising. Yes, it is very important.“ADD SOMETHING THAT IS NOT EXPECTED. IF YOU CAN PROVE THAT YOU HAVE TALENT FOR SOMETHING ELSE, IT IS EVEN BETTER FOR YOU.”But in the first couple seasons, don’t you think that it is okay for young designers to repeat some elements? Maybe key techniques, fabrics, patterns or concepts?Yes, it is necessary to find out what you are comfortable with. But especially when you are young and you have time and energy, I think it is important to be courageous and push yourself outside the boundaries to surprise yourself. I do trade shows all the time, and when I see a designer and love their collection, after a while I need to see progression. Let’s say I book their key rings and after five years there is still the same stand and the same key rings – of course I won’t buy it for Colette anymore. Because it is done, and they don’t understand it themselves. How don’t they get bored with the same thing?I would still say: add something that is not expected. If you can prove that you have talent for something else, it is even better for you. It means you are very talented. And you shouldn’t be disappointed if you don’t receive any orders in your first seasons.After showing my first official collection in London, I decided to come to Paris too. And I became conscious of the difference between trade shows and private showrooms. From a buyer’s point of view, which one is more agreeable for you? There is no rule. As a buyer, I have to go to Premiere Classe, for example. I think starting with big trade shows like this is not a bad thing for a young designer. It is actually good, because so many visitors go there: buyers, maybe some owners of showrooms and press. We have a very busy schedule and it is easier for us as buyers that lots of designers are all in the same place. So we have to go there. It is true that it can be frustrating for designers to be in the same place, with everybody in a square meter, having the same light and walls as everyone else, and you cannot express a lot apart from your products. I do lots of showrooms too, but not all of them, so it depends. There used to be some designers who were together in one showroom, in an apartment in the 18th or 19th arrondissement, but even if I want to go there, I cannot. I won’t have enough time.Today, some designers can have success just by themselves with social media, with the Internet. You can be independent. You can have a great website, a great Instagram, and it will give you more attention than one of these tradeshows or showrooms.“YOU NEED SOMEONE TO HELP YOU TO DO EVERYTHING AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.”What are the main mistakes that young designers make, from the point of view of a buyer and a retailer?To not take care of early delivery, to not be in the showroom and let other people speak about your collection, to not support the retailer in any way, to not renew yourself.Is Paris the only city to set up your showroom if you want to get orders? Paris is essential, but you can also have your showroom in New York, London or Milan.How important is the social following of a new brand for you? It can be important, but not 100%. I consider everything, but the most important thing is my instinct and feeling, and the fact it can complete our current assortment.“EVERYONE COPIES YOUNG DESIGNERS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A STRONG IMAGE.”Do you think designers should have a PR at the beginning of their careers? A lot of emerging talent is quite unsure about these kinds of decisions.You are very lucky in the UK with London Fashion Week and British Fashion Council. They give so much support to young designers, and push them a lot. We don’t have the same in France.I have studied and worked in London for many years now, but I am Turkish. Even though Turkey is strong at textiles and production, there is no systematic help for designers there too. Most countries don’t see the importance of supporting young designers – the UK is special in that sense. But still, if a designer will hire one person at the beginning their career, who should that person be? You need someone that can help with everything. When you get an order, it is important to get your collection in time. It is great if you can do your lookbook in advance. Someone that can help you with press, with contacting people, production of the collection, production of the showroom. You need someone to help you to do everything as early as possible.“FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS AND WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE, DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE CURRENT STYLES.”Do you think customers right now are more interested in young designers?I think we are all a little tired of big brands which are the same everywhere and who don’t really renew themselves. Very strong brands like Vetements are being copied by companies like H&M, and they are very fast at it. Everyone copies young designers because they have a strong image.Are we in a transitional period right now, where there are no specific rules and designers can create their own path and be successful? What is interesting right now is that a lot is coming into industry just from the streets. You see something on a celebrity; it goes super fast. It is about ‘see now, buy now’. It is true that we are in a moment of transition, but I am not sure if it actually changed a lot for a young designer to establish themselves. It is not only that the system is moving, I think for a young designer starting up a brand, you still have to focus on your collection, make sure it is still relevant.In a previous interview of yours, I read that you would like to see a ‘buy button’ on Instagram. It would be great, but at the same time a bit scary. The ‘buy button’ is actually happening; there are apps where you do exactly that.Do you think the influence of social media is negative or positive? Well, you need to be careful. It is a great way to communicate. It is fantastic to be so well informed all the time. We have now been open for twenty years and I know that a dress can be on the covers of all the magazines, it can be super strong for press, but it might not always be good for sales, unfortunately. And this is what I love: making a selection which is good for both press and sales. Sometimes there are some pieces that are everywhere in the press and on social media, but they remain on the shop floor and you don’t know why. It doesn’t mean that that look is bad. You can love it, but not really want to be the person who wears it.Do you think that young designers should discount their pieces at the end of the season in the same way that big brands do, or can a different model work for them? I’m not sure if there are other solutions, I would be interested to know…“SOMETIMES THERE ARE SOME PIECES THAT ARE EVERYWHERE IN THE PRESS AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT THEY REMAIN ON THE SHOP FLOOR AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHY.”As a young designer, there are many moments where you question everything. Your style, your decisions, your timing…You shouldn’t be asking these kinds of questions to yourself. There is space for everything. There are lots of shops around the world and lots of different people. You should do what your instincts are saying. Follow your instincts and when it comes to style, don’t worry about the current styles.What is a big no for you in the work or attitude of a designer? I’m sensitive to all kinds of little things… but you have to be extremely rude to get a big no! And I know how things can turn around in many ways…Is there anything that young designers are not aware of that can really influence your work with them? Not really, I think they have to try with all their energy. Some designers I meet say: “I was afraid to contact you.” Don’t be afraid!!!How do you like to be approached by designers? Again, no rules. I like to discover them by myself of course, through the Internet, showrooms or social media or friends, but I don’t mind being contacted directly, and it happens a lot.Could it be better for new brands to show you their collections off the fashion week schedule? I can only imagine how many appointments you have during the fashion season – what would be the most ideal time for you? Any time. Anywhere. Any place.Interview Tuğcan Dökmen Illustration Eden Barrena

[cstesttaken]

What Effect Does Swearing Have on Your Brand? – SEO NYC & Digital Marketing

Disclaimer: Please refrain from reading this post if you’re easily offended or have no sense of humor whatsoever.

It’s noisy and saturated these days in the marketing realm.

Brands are in a never-ending battle of one-upmanship.

But one technique that seems to work (at least for the brands that do it right) is swearing.

Some notable companies that have pulled this off flawlessly include Thug Kitchen, Vinomofo, and Dollar Shave Club.

It’s also something I have experimented with in the past.

In this post, I’d like to talk about the pros and cons of this brand strategy and whether or not you should try it.

I’ll draw from my own experience and use some actual examples to help you decide whether this is a viable technique for your brand.

Keep in mind that there will be some swearing, so only keep reading if you’re cool with that.

Why would you want to swear in your marketing?

It’s important to first say that swearing isn’t the right move for many brands.

For example, if you’re selling children’s toys, this approach obviously isn’t in the cards for you. If you use it, it’s just going to hurt your reputation.

But if you’re catering to a certain demographic (e.g., snarky twenty-somethings), this can most definitely work to your advantage.

Why would it make sense to drop a few f-bombs?

The way I look at it, there are four main reasons why you would want to swear.

1. It’s funny

If your audience is fairly lax—not too uptight or rigid—there’s a good chance a percentage of them will respond favorably to swearing. It’ll look humorous to them.

It’s kind of like conjuring your inner Beavis and Butthead who can’t help but find potty humor and cursing funny.

I think the funny factor is heightened even more when it catches you off guard and you hear someone like an old lady or a little girl swearing.

Take Potty-Mouthed Princesses, for example.

In a campaign from FCKH8.com, seemingly innocent little girls dressed as princesses drop f-bombs for feminism:

It definitely takes you by surprise, and you can’t help but laugh when you hear little girls swearing like sailors.

2. It conveys authenticity

When you think about all the overly corporate, polished brands out there that are meticulous about keeping a spotless reputation, it’s refreshing to see a brand that lets loose a little.

When I see a brand swearing, I feel like they’re “keeping it real” and know how to have fun. It shows that a company knows what it’s all about and isn’t afraid to run with it.

3. It conveys confidence

Swearing is a ballsy marketing move. It’s not for the timid.

It shows you’re not afraid to be a little rebellious and break conventional marketing rules. Some notable personalities have built their entire identity on a salty word.

Is it offensive? Maybe. Depends on who you are.

Is it confident? Heck, yes.

I think a few well-placed curse words also show that a brand has the cojones to rock the ship, which is appealing to many customers.

4. It helps you connect on a deeper level with your audience

It’s fair to say that “rocking the ship” by swearing won’t allow you to appeal to as wide of a demographic as it would if you kept your marketing squeaky clean.

Using this approach shows you really know your audience and aren’t trying to be everything to everyone.

Or as Tyler Durden from Fight Club would say,

You gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet.

What are the potential repercussions?

Of course, it might not be all puppy dogs and rainbows if you incorporate swearing into your marketing. There can be some drawbacks.

After all, being controversial isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

I actually wrote a blog post about a small experiment I conducted to see how my email subscribers would respond to me sending them an email with a controversial title.

I was hoping that the open rate would increase, but it stayed the same (roughly 26%).

It received more traffic than most other posts. It even got an extra 4,061 visitors compared to a normal Monday blog post, and my social media traffic was 134% more than normal.

It hurt my revenue. Compared to a normal Monday, the income dropped by 26%. The income for that day was even lower than for the days when I don’t published a blog post by roughly 4%.

This means that swearing isn’t necessarily a smart move for your brand.

You may come across as crass, unsophisticated, and even uneducated.

In fact, it can potentially sour your existing relationships, make you lose customers, and hurt your overall profitability.

This is why I don’t recommend jumping in head first with swearing. You’ll want to know the full scope of this marketing move and the potential implications before you start swearing like a sailor.

What I’m trying to say is that like with most things, there are inherent pros and cons to swearing.

It’s definitely not for every brand, but it works well for some.

Examples of brands that use swearing

I’d like to point out three specific brands that I feel have used swearing to their advantage.

They’re all a little edgy and known for being cynical and snarky. They’re also quite witty.

In my opinion, this brand really pushes the envelope. Just look at what visitors see after landing on its homepage:

Keep in mind that this is above the fold for the whole world to see. It’s not hidden on some obscure page of the site. It’s in your face and right to the point.

Not many brands would have the courage to take this approach.

Call them obscene. Call them dangerous. Call them crass, but I feel that Thug Kitchen pulls it off eloquently.

Just take a look at one of its blog posts:

Or check out the Thug Kitchen Cookbook trailer:

For a second, you think this is just another commercial like the thousands of other super-PC, mind-numbing commercials out there.

But it quickly becomes evident that this is very, very different. Thug Kitchen uses its wit and smartassery to make an incredibly (in my opinion) funny spoof commercial.

The team does it seamlessly and with a great entertainment factor.

This company specializes in selling “epic wines” to wine enthusiasts around the world.

Their brand identity puts an emphasis on being authentic and unpretentious.

And while they’re nowhere near as hardcore as Thug Kitchen is with their swearing, Vinomofo is definitely edgy.

Here’s a short snippet from the “About” section of their site that describes the “Mofo Tribe”:

It’s pretty clear they’ve got a firm grasp of their demographic.

It’s also clear they’re not worried about catering to everyone. They “get it” and are just looking to connect with their tight little audience.

Example 3 – Dollar Shave Club

Pretty much everyone has heard of Dollar Shave Club by now.

That’s founder Michael Dubin being saucy and sarcastic about how awesome his company’s razor blades are.

There’s no beating around the bush, and Dollar Shave Club’s distinct brand of humor has been the primary reason for their success and net worth of $615 million.

In my opinion, they’re marketing geniuses who have found a way to pepper in a little swearing to enhance their brand identity.

Conclusion

Here’s the deal: Under the right circumstances, swearing and even flat-out obscenity can work wonders.

Aaaand, here’s my disclaimer: Under the wrong circumstances, it can offend consumers, diminish your brand equity, and make you look like an insensitive bigot.

It’s really amazing how far-ranging the results can be.

Although I’ve found swearing to have more of a negative than positive impact on my brand, this doesn’t mean it can’t work for you.

Just look at the success that companies like Thug Kitchen, Vinomofo, and especially Dollar Shave Club have had.

Or think about famous people such as comedian George Carlin and author Chuck Palahniuk, whose names have become synonymous with being edgy and non-PC.

My advice is this: consider your audience, and ask these questions:

Does your target audience primarily consist of people who would be okay with swearing?

Or would it turn them off and detract from their experience?

Also, does swearing align with the overall brand identity you’re trying to establish?

If you feel like swearing could be used to your advantage, you might want to experiment with it.

I wouldn’t go to the extremes of Thug Kitchen and start dropping f-bombs left and right. But you could throw in a curse word or two to see how your audience reacts.

I also recommend that you avoid being blatantly offensive. Be mature. Keep it classy, and try not to alienate your audience in the process.

What’s your opinion of brands that use swearing?

Source

https://seonycdigitalmarketing.wordpress.com/2016/12/05/what-effect-does-swearing-have-on-your-brand/