#Koume has fire powers

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was playing a version of Ocarina of Time where I was told if I beat Kotake first, Hyrule would get flooded like in the adult timeline but if I beat Koume first then Hyrule would freeze over?

Kinda confusing because you defeated them both at once in Ocarina of Time.

[renthony]

Boys raised by adoptive moms with magical gems embedded in their bodies, one of whom has ice powers and one of whom has fire powers, who can fuse together into one taller woman with enhanced magical power:

[ID: Promotional images of Steven Universe and Ganondorf. End description.]

And the moms in question:

[ID: A screenshot of Ruby and Sapphire with a screenshot of Kotake and Koume. End description.]

[ID: Screenshots of Garnet and Twinrova. End description.]

[ladyrijus]

Lately, I have been thinking about Kotake and Koume, and, out of interest, have read through a lot of interesting takes on their involvement in Ganondorf's upbringing during Ocarina of Time. However, I've noticed that some of these discussions tend to depict them as emotionally distant, exploitative, manipulative, and even borderline cruel.

Which, granted, isn't entirely out of line for their characters. What other personality traits could we expect out of witches who brainwashed their people into doing the bidding of their king, who were born nearly 400 years before the events of Ocarina of Time and therefore hold a vastly different worldview than the rest of their tribe?

But as always, I like to carry a bit of sensible skepticism when it comes to the narrative that is being pushed in the game. And I find it almost imperative to do so for Ocarina of Time, given that it is played through the eyes of Link, a child soldier who fails to question the orders that he believes he is meant to follow, and the kingdom of Hyrule, which had recently come out as the victor and dominant power after a "civil" war.

The question still remains, however. What, in Ocarina of Time, would "redeem" Twinrova? Where can we see evidence of their "goodness"?

In my opinion? Their powers.

Their powers, I argue, were not chosen randomly by the creators of Ocarina of Time. It was absolutely intentional to show their association with the Gerudo Tribe and more importantly, the Gerudo Valley/Desert. Just think about it, the climate there is scorching hot during the day, yet biting cold during the night.

Wouldn't you, with powers of ice, try to cool down your people after they return from a tiring yet successful hunt?

Wouldn't you, with powers of fire, try to warm your people up when there is not enough hides and furs to pass around?

And given that no one (aside from maybe Ganondorf) has these powers, it is safe to assume that the Gerudo regarded Twinrova as blessed beings; divine guardians sent by the Goddess of the Sands as a reward for their endurance in such harsh climates.

Again, this isn't to condone their actions that take place during the game. We see they are more than happy to kill in the name of their king, willing to coerce others into killing by ways of dark magic.

However, we should also acknowledge the fact that we're encouraged to see just that: two antagonistic witches who revel in brainwashing, killing, cheating death, and being unapologetically evil.

Boring. If we wanted absolutely evil, death seeking creatures, we can look to literally any other magical creature in Ocarina of Time.

Rather, it's important that Twinrova are humans (or humanoid, though either way their sentience still stands), as it forces players to 1) look at the bigger picture and question why the twins behave the way they do and 2) recognize that they have motives that go beyond simply helping a king assert control over an entire world.

Perhaps, Twinrova might have been prolonging their lives to look out for their people, as they had no one with magical affinity to mentor until Ganondorf had demonstrated his own prowess in the mystical arts.

Perhaps, over the centuries, they realized the chiefs and chieftesses before Ganondorf were not cutthroat enough like their Hylian counterparts to fend off territorial expansion/colonization.

Perhaps, after seeing their era of prosperity being snatched away from them, they grew hateful of the kingdom that lives in splendor, and wanted to see it burn and freeze the way they do.

Perhaps, after seeing the complacency of the new generation, how some of their best warriors seek out lovers in that damned Castle Town, they realized this boy was their only hope of restoring their honor and dignity.

[pinklocksoflove]

Basic info for Galira

She was magically implanted in her mother with the purpose of being tailored to become the host body of one of the Gerudo witches, Kotake and Koume. The original plan went awry so she and her twin Illendra were taken and separated. Though Galira holds the spirit of one of the witches Perhaps even merely a fragment. She is on a quest for the “perfect” magic in its purest form.

Feeling that the other disciplines of magic are haphazard, and has instead chosen to focus primarily upon elemental magic. Molding the base elements into whatever magical forms she needs - In order to achieve perfection in these elemental transmutations in the ever changing weave of magic that permeates the world. Her soul is inundated with power. She lets it overflow, and her enemies will quickly learn to fear it.

For now she studies elemental fire and earth, basing herself within reach of an active volcano, death mountain. Which holds the spiritual power of fire within a temple in the crater of the volcano

When not burning enemies to a crisp or crushing them with earth and stone she can often be found researching alchemy, running a potion shop, lending her aid to some more morally dubious types and time meditating and reflecting on the nature of magic

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Fanfic idea (I'll never write) Ganondad who is raising his lil twin daughters, and suddenly finds out that instead of the regular Gerudo chief Thunder powers, they have ice and fire! The Gerudo chief always has some talent towards thunder, but ice and fire are basically unheard of. Dealer's choice if Ganondorf actually has thunder powers, or if that's a chieftain exclusive power, aka only female Gerudo leader. Bonus: Through physics Koume and Kotake can create a form of electricity with their powers together.

ohh you should write it! The world needs more fanfic that focuses on the relationship of Ganondorf and Twinrova, no matter the configuration!!!

[matriarchsdevotee-archive]

Twinrova theory:

Okay so the promised twinrova conspiracy theory. This comes with the standard caveat of I don't expect this to be played out on here and it seldom comes up anyway, but the jist of it is that, when I was beginning the Gerudo historia project, I made peace with the fact that Ganondorf probably wasn't going to be consistent with tribal trends and it was in my better interest to push it away and leave it to the gan stans to worry about. The Gerudo are one of the very few self-consistent tribes in Zelda, it's part of what attracts me to them as a writer, so I was decidedly unbothered if I found discrepancy with Gan's philosophy/customs/religious foundations, and so on.

The thing is, though... He's really not terribly inconsistent with them. Physically, he is of course very different than his sisters, but he does functionally look like what a male Gerudo would be expected to look like - extremely well--muscled, broad shouldered, red hair and yellow eyes (which, while uncommon, are seen among other Gerudo across games - it's essentially the human equivalent of Blue or green eyes). If Nintendo canon heights are to be believed, he's shorter than his countrywomen, but given that there's in-game flavor text that suggests Gerudo men tend to be sickly or weaker than their counterparts, that also tracks. He wears the same makeup that a Gerudo chieftain does across all his appearances as a man and even some of his later appearances as his monstrous form, Ganon (Red eyeshadow, black garb, and golden lipstick, gold being the color of religious figures amongst the Gerudo (see also Maike in botw and Nabooru)). He's certainly an extremist amongst his people, but it's not like the Gerudo are pro-Hyrule. Even Nabooru seems to be in the camp of "get Ganondorf out but so help me god if Hyrule tries to colonize us." Realistically, the most out of character trait that Ganondorf has as a Gerudo is his massive magical capabilities. Some Gerudo are minor prophets and they're often seen with magical weapons, but trust me when I say I have scoured the source material and Ganondorf is the only one who can wield traditional magic...

Except for his mothers. His white-haired, magical, extremely long-lived, surrogate mothers who have names that are intensely un-Gerudo, both at the time (Koume and Kotake don't share any phonetic similarities with Nabooru, Ganondorf or Aveil, and are blatantly just. Japanese names) and with the help of the Gerudo phonetics in Four Swords Adventures and Breath of the Wild (And acompannying breath of the wild companion games). His mothers, who have an even greater animosity for Hyrule than the rest of the Gerudo put together. Who have a distinct hatred for the royal family.

Anyway, what I'm alluding to is that the Twinrova are Sheikah.

I say this because, as consistent as Ganondorf is with his people, Koume and Kotake simply aren't. As we discussed, magical ability is very uncommon amongst the Gerudo, and their names share much more in common with Sheikah phonetics than they do (as the Sheikah names in botw often borrow Japanese phonetics) than they do Gerudo or even Hylian names. There are no other Gerudos with white hair. Very old Gerudo in Botw go pink and Ashai, who we can reasonably assume has a melanin issue of some kind due to her very light eyes and skin, has pink hair instead of red or white. In Four Swords Adventures, the Gerudo chief is pictured in her character art with red hair, though she's clearly aged elsewhere.  Even when they transform during their bossfight, they don't have red hair, as their youthful form would suggest. (This is weaker evidence, as it's pretty clear their design was more meant to mirror the fire/ice archetype, but the fact that the only Gerudo trait their son retains consistently when he transforms is his red hair leads me to believe this isn't entirely invalid).

Speaking of the transformation, that's something of an odd power, isn't it? Ganon doesn't transform as a disguise, but you know who does? Explicitly into a Gerudo?

This motherfucker.

During the Age of Calamity mission in which you recruit Urbosa, Kogha distracts the chieftain and is able to slip into Gerudo town in magical disguise in order to try to kill Zelda (Frankly, even if Urbosa hadn't arrived when she did, this wasn't going to end well as the Gerudo were already becoming suspicious, but I digress).

In conclusion, we have a pair of sisters with little relation to the tribe they allegedly belong to who raised a child specifically to violently despise Hyrule's royal family and train his power so he can destroy them, who phonetically, canonically, and in terms of design share much more in common with the Sheikah tribe than they do the Gerudo. Was this the intent? I'm willing to bet money that it absolutely was not, but you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

[divineprank]

Twin fires flicker, enchanting to behold, Koume and Kotake, darkness they unfold. From haunted wastelands, their powers ignite, breathing life into chaos -- their son’s birthright.

Within sorrow’s blaze, hearts as one entwined, Koume and Kotake: moon and sun combined. A dark king ascends, his reign will burn bright, their legacy unfolds, the darkness takes flight.

Destruction’s inferno: their ultimate desire, Koume and Kotake fan the flames higher. A bond unyielding, their love now ablaze, they’ve made evil incarnate, his legacy they praise.

Despair’s last fire, a twisted and wicked spell spun, Koume and Kotake, it was the end of their fun. Their dance has now faded, their breaths are now still, these terrible twin witches fell to a hero’s strong will.

From the ashes of a dead blaze, their legacy takes flight. The remnants of their power, a lingering twilight. A dead flame’s red embers, their presence still glows; in whispers and rumors, their darkness still shows.

Engraved in history, their malevolence prevails! Echoing through time! Haunting ancient tales! Their design: a twisted legend eternally intact, and enduring echo of darkness -- never to retract.

[laxyaklovesloz]

The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage 2: Dark Mirror | Chapter Eleven: Death of the King

Lila turned to Impa with concern for Zale plain on her face. For a third time, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Impa gestured to sit and they did. “It’s a long story since Prince Zale wants me to tell you about my tribe. If I tell you the ending first, will you promise not to run off?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll want to comfort him right away.” Impa couldn’t speak without showing her own sorrow.

Lila thought about it. “I think I can do that.”

Impa whispered in her ear, “The king is dead.”

Lila gasped and reeled away. “The… you mean Zale’s father?” Impa nodded. Lila looked at the door but kept her promise. “I’m listening.”

“My tribe, the Shiekah, was formed by the princess of the Era of the Hero of Time. There have been rough patches, but for the most part, we’ve stayed by the royal family to protect them from the shadows. We knew Ganondra was going to attack, so we took King Gaepora to our secret village.”

“Wait,” Lila interrupted. “You knew Ganondra was going to attack? Why didn’t you protect Zale? Zale got captured because you left him behind!”

Impa winced. “I didn’t know he was captured… We were told to just protect the king. I’m sorry. We should have protected the entire royal family.”

Lila softened, seeing Impa’s discomfort. “I’m sorry for getting angry with you. Please, continue.”

Impa nodded and did so. “At the village, the king became sick. We figured out that he had been poisoned, but we had no idea how. It took days of intense healing magic for him to get better. As soon as he was, we made our way back to Castle Town.”

Impa paused, her eyes misty. Her voice was choked when she continued. “On the way back we were attacked by two witches. They had the powers of fire and ice.”

“Kotake and Koume,” Lila said in shock. “I defeated them!”

“Then at least justice has been served,” Impa said with a small sob. “They were too strong for us to overcome. They killed everyone, including the king. I only managed to escape because the king sacrificed himself for me.”

Lila took a moment to process everything Impa had told her. There was a secret tribe that lived to protect the royal family. They took the king to safety only for him to be killed by Kotake and Koume. Then a thought occurred to her.

“If you had taken Zale to your village, then he would be dead, too…”

Impa gasped, having never made the connection. “You’re right! Thank Hylia things went the way they did!”

“Yes,” Lila agreed. “Maybe it was a divine decree that ultimately kept him safe.” She waited a few seconds and then said, “Well, I should go see him, now.” She stood up, wavering, but Impa protested.

“It’s late! Prince Zale needs his rest. By the looks of it, you need rest, too. You can talk to him in the morning.”

Lila felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She grumbled, “Fine. I’ll wait until tomorrow.”

Impa turned to leave, but Lila held out a hand to stop her.

“Thank you,” Lila said softly. “For telling me all of this. I’m sure it was hard for you.”

Tears welled at the corners of Impa’s eyes. “You’re welcome. Thank you for listening.”

With that, Impa left, and Lila was able to go to sleep.

∴

After Salvatore had found them a pair of rooms next to each other, Link and Zelda were talking in Link’s room. Link was pacing in agitation.

“I should just get the sword while everyone is sleeping,” Link said.

Zelda said, “You tried that already, remember? Did it work? No.”

“Lila was already awake when I got there,” Link protested, not sure if it was true. “This time I’ll be ready. I know about the guards now.”

“Don’t tell me you plan to kill the guards.”

Before Link could answer, there was a flash of light in the corner of the room. Link and Zelda looked to see their teacher, Rova.

“What are you doing in the castle?” Rova demanded.

“Relax,” Link said. “We’re trusted here.”

Rova looked at him, one eye fiery and one eye icy. “Then why don’t you have the Master Sword yet?”

Link’s calm faltered. “Um, well…”

“We’re working on it,” Zelda supplied.

“Work faster!” Rova raged. “The sword belongs to you, Link, not that girl.”

“But ‘that girl’ also had the Triforce of Courage,” Zelda said cooly.

Before she could elaborate, Rova said, “I don’t care about that! It doesn’t matter. Get the sword, or we will have a problem.”

Link and Zelda both blanched at the thought. With one last glare at each of them, Rova vanished the way she had appeared.

“I gotta get that sword.”

“Yes, but how?”

[gerudospiriit]

[Numero dos of those cute little things I tried to post altogether but dumblr said nah fam. Enjoy~.

Translation note: vaina: mother]

Aveil

"How do you deal with Avira so calmly?"

Aveil flopped back on the plush array of pillows arranged around the table on Nabooru's bedroom floor, draining her glass of its amber contents in a single gulp. "I didn't know being your second in command would test my patience this much."

"Was it that bad while we were gone?" Nabooru rubbed her eyes and stretched her legs out to her side on the couch, elbow propping her up. She knew the moment her head rested on a pillow, she would be out like a torch. Exhausted from the ride back from Hyrule and another tiresome round of diplomatic meetings, she wished she fought back on Aveil's insistence to brief her on the goings on at the fortress in her absence. Until that moment, she likely could have done it easily by pointing out that she would just have to share the same report with Ganondorf the next morning. "I don't know why she thinks I would have chosen her over you for my second when she has threatened to kill me on more than one occasion."

"She needs to get over this grudge she has with both of us," Aveil snapped. "She trusts Ganondorf's judgement without question, and if he didn't trust either of us, we probably wouldn't even be part of the Elite."

"Welcome to politics. Count yourself lucky you don't have to deal with Hyrule's snooty nobles looking down on you. At least Avira has something of a reason to hate us."

"Maybe. But I think that would beat Avira's constant negativity and disruptions of our meetings at every turn. At least I learned that if I claim it was the king's wishes, it will shut her up, true or not. And I can charm those fools far easier than her, too." She sighed with more drama than necessary and refilled her glass with liquor. "Can you just demote me now? I miss only worrying about training, fighting in raids, and when I'll get to take a trip to Castle Town for a little fun. Avira will make a fine replacement and probably won't poison your water at the first chance she gets."

"The fact that she hasn't done it yet is shocking," Nabooru replied with a tired laugh. "I've been getting restless myself. Training by myself and sparring with the others is fine when I get the time, but I might volunteer for a raiding party that could use some extra muscle in the near future."

Aveil huffed. "I would try and join you, but I'm sure one of us will need to stay here. You of all people know how Ganondorf likes to disappear for days at a time to the temple. Twinrova really can't seem to accept the fact that their little prince is all grown up and on his own."

Nabooru grimaced at the mention of her lover's surrogate mothers. Despite magic being taboo for the Gerudo, Koume and Kotake were the exception and their power as a sort of background matriarch was rarely questioned because of it and the centuries of experience under their robes. Intentional or not, Ganondorf had let it slip that his mothers were not very fond of her in a rant about them, calling her too rebellious and outspoken to be a proper second for him, let alone queen one day if the engagement stuck. If they had their way, it certainly wouldn't. Ganondorf at least had enough tact to reassure her that her fire and passion was one of the main reasons he wanted her as his second.

"I'll see about getting you some time off soon. You've been shouldering plenty of responsibility for quite a while, so it's the least I can do." She stretched and smiled. "I do appreciate you, Aveil. You don't deserve to take on the brunt of Avira's bitterness alone."

"Damn right I don't." Aveil grinned and shot her friend a wink. "Someone has to keep this place in order, though, and I am willing to sacrifice what's left of my sanity for the good of the Gerudo."

"Isn't that what we vowed in our induction ceremony? I'm sure that was in there, word for word."

The two women laughed until tears streamed from their eyes, the ease between them welcomed when tact and propriety were expected of them more than ever. Jokes and comfort taking a backseat to duty. But these small pockets of time proved therapeutic, an escape from the taxing expectations of leadership. Where they could simply be two best friends who bonded since childhood and didn't spend enough time together in adulthood.

Nabooru sat up, observing Aveil. "You really are incredible, you know?"

"I do know. And you could stand to tell me that more often."

"I mean it." Nabooru didn't know what spurred her to say it. Perhaps a mix of physical and mental exhaustion from the trip had her considering her friend and her particularly grievous early life more deeply. "It may not be uncommon for us to lose mothers and sisters young, but you've taken it all in stride. I've definitely seen others who suffered similarly take it much harder. You had your moments, I know, but you've always been so strong overall."

Aveil uncrossed and recrossed her legs in front of her. She grasped her glass in both hands, staring into the contents with a sad smile. "It was hard for a while. Still is sometimes. Some days I wasn't sure what kept me from running after Kija to try and find her or the guy that killed vaina. Or running off and getting lost in the desert. I suppose being a scared five year old might have been it. But I guess I just...told myself this is what they would want for me over the years. They wouldn't want me to mourn or be bitter or give everything up because I thought the world was unfair for taking them from me. I like to think they would be proud of the woman and warrior I've become. I fight on for them, I suppose. Because they can't fight or do anything else they loved or could have loved any more."

"I think you're right. They would be proud to see you making a difference for us and helping protect our people."

"Vaina was about that, wasn't she?" Aveil's smile brightened. "I also had a pretty decent friend keeping me afloat, too. She could be a bit of a nag when I slacked off in lessons and a little preachy, but she was always there for me when I needed her."

"Preachy?" Nabooru sputtered, incredulous. "I am not preachy!"

Aveil laughed again, falling back on the pillows and kicking her legs in the air. "That's what got you? Not naggy?"

Nabooru sniffed. "I know I nag. But only when I'm faced with lazy layabouts wasting their potential on slacking off and daydreaming about men."

"I daydream about women, too!"

Nabooru couldn't even roll her eyes, her giggles too potent to allow any portrayal of her annoyance. "Okay, okay. We have to stop. I'm going to burst if I laugh any more." She wrapped an arm around her sore belly and wiped away a tear. "Bore me with your report already."

[off-off-off]

7 Simple Ways ahead Up with an Product Idea

Since the Mesopotamians and also the Ancient Greeks uncovered the world-changing opportunities of the wheel, mankind has been bound by a continuous wish to innovate. From the manufacturer inventions of Ford, Edison, as well as Tesla to the modern technology wizards of Silicon Valley, countless ideas-- some good, some poor-- have been conceived, cultivated, and also built.

Consequently, masterminding the next huge money-maker is a very popular pastime, even if the fact is somewhat a lot more sobering for the majority of us. But that doesn't suggest that you need to abandon your internal business owner the minute you struck a creative wall; after all, there are numerous methods to produce good organization suggestions.

Whether it's via transforming your basic expectation or wanting enough to take on brand-new techniques, anybody can have a possibly life-changing suggestion; all you require to do is figure out how to open it. Follow InventHelp Instagram For more tips and advice

So, if you have actually ever intended to transform the world-- or you merely just intend to make bags of money-- then listen. Below's how ahead up with a product suggestion that could potentially do both.

1. Be a Visionary

The good news is that anybody can be a visionary; the bad news is that really couple of ended up being successful ones. This is because plucking a principle or a concept out of slim air-- as well as transforming it into something useful and feasible-- is an extremely delicate process.

That does not imply it's difficult. While some individuals are naturally more creative than others, there are plenty of points you can do to stimulate the appropriate side of your brain; music, for example, is generally mentioned as a way of opening inspiration, while various other kinds of aesthetic art and also literary works can also feed the ingenious fire.

Your environments can play a big component, too. A few of the globe's most interesting minds need their distinct innovative room in which to thrive, and your own is likely no different. Whether it's a minimal office, a remote cabin, or somewhere near the sea, place on your own in an area where you can unwind as well as transport your ideas proficiently.

Keep in mind: it's near difficult to take a seat as well as order yourself to invent something. Imagination is a natural sensation that requires to be enabled space and time to expand, so put on your own in the very best possible frame of mind to attain it.

2. Recognize a Trouble in Your Life

For those who choose a more sensible, hands-on approach to suggestion generation, you can always go back to the basic cornerstone of product invention: search for an issue or an aspect of your life that could be less complicated, and afterward find out a method of making it so.

This may sound like an obvious pointer, but nearly every terrific organization item of the last 20 years has been a result of this approach. A few of the world's most effective business owners have reached where they are by using a relatively apparent fix to an individual concern. Pierre Omidyar created ebay.com so he could market his unwanted belongings, while Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp-- the cofounders of Uber-- allegedly developed the ride-sharing application in Paris after being not able to hail a taxi.

Inevitably, though, if it's a problem for you, then possibilities are others are experiencing the same problems. By devising a service, you will not just be making your very own life that little bit less complicated, but a great deal of other people's, as well, strengthening the moneymaking possibility that your product could bring.

3. Recognize a Problem in Another Person's Life

If you're fortunate adequate to live a problem-free life, after that a choice is to expand your range; recognizing a potential option to a modern worldwide problem is a surefire way to amass large-scale passion in your item.

Whether it's social, ecological, or cultural, there's no shortage of problems to attend to, either. Renewable power is a lively location for advancement amongst engineers, while many licenses have been filed for gadgets that produce clean drinking water in creating nations.

You don't necessarily need to reinvent the wheel, either; Toms shoe owner Blake Mycoskie executed a buy-one-give-one business version for his footwear business in a proposal to give shoes to impoverished youngsters in South America.

Thinking of a suggestion that truly transforms individuals' lives right is widely gratifying-- and also not just in an economic sense-- so if you have the technical or design abilities to match your creative mind, then consider exactly how you can make a positive distinction.

4. Build Upon Something That Currently Exists

Nearly all inventions have a shelf-life up until they are superseded by something better or they evolve into something a lot more efficient. This is where you could come in, taking a product or an innovation that is reaching its best-before date, and transforming it as something brand-new.

Just to be clear, this doesn't imply taking an iPod and repackaging it with a different layout; you require to improve the capacities of the item. This can mean developing a brand-new innovation that inevitably offers the very same function but with a great deal even more convenience for the individual. Besides, as Henry Ford notoriously once claimed, if he 'd inquired what people desired when he was creating the auto, they would certainly have requested a quicker steed.

It is commonly claimed that there's no such thing as true originality which all concepts are based-- however loosely-- on ones that already exist, so do not think twice to adopt this approach. If it makes people's lives easier, then it will offer, so constantly keep an eye out for products that could be enhanced.

You can also find out more advice by check InventHelp gets great inventions from the mind to the market

5. Exploit Trends and also Technologies

Normally, if something is preferred, after that there will constantly be people all set to make a quick buck off it; from the sculpture vendors permanently camped outside the Eiffel Tower to the many knock-off merchants of popular film franchise business (truthfully, how many unlicensed Harry Potter cups does the world need?), there's constantly a sharp service mind seeking to swoop.

While in principle there's absolutely nothing wrong with piggybacking on fads, attempt instead to focus on creating something lasting, significant, and also, well, lawful. After all, the issue with fads is that, ultimately, they die out, so if you wish to earn money long-term, you'll require to be slightly a lot more nuanced. Take WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum, for example, who noticed the rewarding potential of Apple's fledgling application store to launch a service that has a life beyond its origins.

Always keep abreast of modern technology growths as well as preserve a finger on the pulse of what is about to come to be popular, as there will certainly be money to be made on the right type of item.

6. Focus on Your Toughness

When thinking of an item, it's vital to dream large however additionally be practical; it's going to be exceptionally hard to resolve the melting polar ice cap issue if you have no expertise in environmental science.

This is why you need to try to focus your energy on what you're good at. What is your location of proficiency? Are you a good developer? Or are you better with your hands? Put in the time to understand what your stamina and also passions are, and afterward turn the imaginative process know itself: instead of matching your skills to trouble, match the issue to your abilities.

You will certainly discover it much less complicated to develop as well as develop items if you have a mutual understanding of what you're attempting to attain, so check out where you are best positioned to identify an opportunity. also get help with inventions

7. Learn from Others

As increasingly more regular Joes and Janes start right into entrepreneurship, individuals are becoming progressively inspired to chance their arm in the business globe; a byproduct of this is that there's a wealth of info offered in books as well as podcasts, as well as online, regarding just how these resourceful people were originally motivated in the first place.

What was their assumed process in creating their product? While these details won't directly illuminate a lightbulb over your head, it may modify your thought process as well as a mindset in the direction of generating suggestions, which could, in turn, lead to the seeds of something unique.

Keep in mind: one basic suggestion or piece of guidance could be all it requires to alter your frame of mind as well as establish you on your way, so immerse on your own in the entrepreneurial globe and remain available to the recommendations of others that have achieved success.

[radwolf76]

FLASHBack: Week 48 - The Real Legend of Zelda

A month ago on FLASHBack, we looked at two scary Flashes by Mexican Flash animator Jerry “Granfaloon” Padilla. At the time, I commented that those two animations weren’t what he was known for as a Flash animator. Today, we’ll be looking at what was his claim to fame: The Real Legend series, a comedic parody of the plot to what many would argue is the best outing in the Legend of Zelda franchise: Ocarina of Time. (Those arguments being dead wrong, of course – the pinnacle of the series objectively being A Link to The Past, but for whatever reason, that’s not the one Granfaloon made his Flashes about.) There have been five chapters of Padilla’s work to date, and all five of them were awarded Newgrounds’ Daily Feature award when he uploaded them. Episodes 2-5 also were featured on Newgrounds’ Frontpage within 24 hours of their uploads, as well as taking the first place Weekly Users’ Choice Awards of their respective weeks. The second and third installments also were named Newgrounds’ Review Crew Picks.

The Real Legend was uploaded to Newgrounds on 16 December 2003, five years after Ocarina of Time’s original release, but in the same year that a port of the game was made available for GameCube. It introduces the main characters of the series: Link, and Navi. Unlike in the game itself, where she’s little more than a z-targeting cursor with fairy wings, here we are occasionally shown Navi in fanservice-y close-up. There’s also the obligatory Matrix homage, because Flash animators just couldn’t get enough of them. We’re shown Link dealing with the Temple of Time, and meeting Zelda Sheik.

The Real Legend 2 was released on 29 March 2005. This episode touches upon Link obtaining the Hookshot from Dampé’s ghost, visiting the Lon Lon Ranch, and also the Forest Temple. Link’s daydream of rescuing Saria, is a dramatic art-shift where Padilla shows off his skills at rendering Link more in the style of Adult Link from OoT and other games such as the then newly announced Twilight Princess, instead of this series’ usual depiction which has him looking a bit like Nester from the old Nintendo Power magazines. (Fun Fact: Nester’s use of “Well Excuse Me.” in that linked comic panel about Legend of Zelda when he loudly drops a library book about Link actually predates by about a half a year the release of the infamous Legend of Zelda cartoon that would give Link his “Well Excuse Me, Princess!” catchphrase that went a long way to justifying his portrayal as a silent hero.) There’s also a nice shout out to the Kill Bill movies.

The Real Legend 3 was put out by Granfaloon on 28 Jan 2009. This chapter focuses on the Fire Temple, with a brief flashback to Jabu Jabu’s belly. Fart jokes abound. At this point, Ocarina of Time was just over a decade old, with several newer games released in the interim: Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and Twilight Princess. Still, OoT was iconic enough that just the year before, IGN had released a fake Legend of Zelda live-action movie trailer as an April Fools joke, and while they didn’t specify which game in the franchise it was based on, it borrowed heavily from Ocarina’s themes and elements.

The Real Legend 4 came out on 17 June 2011. After obtaining the Iron Boots in the Ice Caverns and more cryptic advice and another song from Sheik (whose chestbinding finally gives out after four chapters, most likely from the combination of the strain and the cold), Link sets off for the Water Temple. Also there’s a brief parody of House M.D.. Lots of meme faces in this one.

The Real Legend 5 marked Padilla’s return to the series after eight years on 9 May 2019. (As with many long running Flash series, this most modern installment was not actually animated in Flash, but in two other Adobe products, Photoshop and After Effects.) This chapter features Title Cards in Old Hylian, another visit from Sheik (who still hasn’t had a chance to replace their chest binder), a cameo by Guru-Guru, and Link being sent on a mission to the Shadow Temple. For the first time in the series, Navi’s fanservice-y closeups have her wearing clothing (possibly a due to Granfaloon also simultaneously uploading this release to his own YouTube channel the same day it hit Newgrounds). Link makes his way through the temple, and has to face down Bongo Cat Phantom Shadow Beast: Bongo Bongo. Afterwards, Navi remarks on how close they are to completing the quest and purging evil from the land forever, while the screen flashes to images of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild, a nice homage to the fact that this series is celebrating a now two decades old game that is but one part of a rich and ongoing franchise. The animation ends with Link getting the Biggoron’s Sword reforged. But it’s doubtful this will be the end of the series, as earlier there had been a cameo of the Gerudo witches Koume and Kotake, who are the bosses of the Spirit Temple.

  Bonus Track: Two years before Jerry Padilla ever began The Real Legend series, Flash animator Josh Spaulding put together a game sprite animation Flash, using A Link to the Past sprites (again, objectively the best Zelda), set to the song The Legend of Zelda (Link He Come to Town) and uploaded it on 14 February 2001. The song was written and sung by Joe Pleiman, then a member of a band called Rabbit Joint, who had released the song on the band’s self titled album. Back in the Wild West days of filesharing, some chucklehead got the bright idea that Pleiman sounded like Serj Tankian from System of a Down, and uploaded an MP3 of Joe’s Zelda song to Napster under the file name “SOAD - Zelda”, leading many to believe that System of a Down had actually been responsible for the song.   That’s it for Hyrule. Next Stop, our usual Mid-Month visit to Nevada.

[triforcetarot]

The card of the day is Temperance.

When Koume and Kotake are near the brink of defeat, they merge their energies and form the single being known as Twinrova. She is a powerful sorceress with control over the conflicting magicks of fire and ice, and is seen here managing the balance between them of water passing back and forth between two chalices.

Where in your life do you need balance? What aspects of your energies or energetic self require healing or work? Take today as a day to focus on those needs. We often find ourselves being pulled one way or the other, a little too much fire or frost in our lives of which we feel the negative effects. Allow yourself to come back up to center, balanced in between the fire and ice to become that water, passing back and forth rhythmically in balance with self and the energies around you.

Nikodaemus Shadowsky is a First Degree Priest in the WISE tradition and Summoner of The Ever Green Hearth. He has been practicing tarot for the last five years and continues to expand and improve his Craft every day.

[godlessgeekblog]

Facebook News Feed Dies, What Marketers MUST Know

The Facebook News Feed is dead. It’s official.

Gone. Extinct. Poof. Nada. Oblivion.

In this article, I’ll tell you why I’m making this assertion, the conspiratorial events leading up to the death of the News Feed, what it all means for the future of Facebook marketing, and four solid takeaways that will superpower your marketing in a post-News Feed era.

After reading this article, you’ll be light-years ahead of most marketers. You’ll learn the unicorn moves in the brave new world of Facebook Messenger marketing — a world where the News Feed is a relic of history.

Facebook’s News Feed Is Dead: Here are the Facts

Let me lay out the issue in a single sentence: Facebook is restructuring all the leaders of their business to support a new focus on messaging and privacy.

The News Feed has been in decline for years. It’s final, gasping moments are at hand.

The ones to suffer most from the demise of News Feed are publishers — us, marketers, storytellers, businesses.

We get it. People don’t see our organic posts anymore.

But why this new round of outrage about the News Feed’s demise?

In the past, when the News Feed got dinged, it was usually preceded by a Mark Zuckerburg jeremiad about the loss of “friends and family at the core of the experience,” or a variation on that theme.

  Of course, these laments masked the cold, hard truth for us publishers who got screwed by the algorithm changes.

But now, it’s more than laments. It’s more than algorithm tweaks.

It’s people.

Zuckerburg has made moves. Bold moves.

What kind of moves? Here’s the Facebook shuffle that has all taken place within the last year.

These names may not be familiar to you, but basically, a whole lot of billionaires were just let out to pasture. Taken together, they tell the shocking story about how Facebook is changing.

WhatsApp Cofounder Jan Koum Left Facebook a While Back.

Koum mushroomed into a billionaire when Facebook bought his and co-founder Brian Acton’s startup, WhatsApp.

Now, Koum is spending more time playing ultimate frisbee than he spends tweaking his app. And Brian Acton jumped ship, too.

It was no secret that Koum and Facebook’s old guard crossed swords when Facebook started tinkering with WhatsApp’s most notable feature — ironclad encryption.

Chris Daniels just Resigned (March 14, 2019) after Recently Being Installed as the Leader of WhatsApp.

Daniels became Koum’s replacement but not for long. On the day that Fast Company called “ugly Thursday,” Daniels cleared out his desk and walked out the door.

That’s a pretty big move for a guy who just got the equivalent of a Facebook corner office.

Chris Cox, Third-highest at Facebook also Resigned.

This is big news.

Cox was engineer hire number 13 at Facebook and he spent 13 years at Facebook. (Let’s not go all superstitious about the string of 13s.)

However, Chris Cox is the highest ranking company officer ever to resign. He held the Chief Product Officer role, just one door down from Ms. Sandberg, Facebook’s COO.

  Chris Cox was a legend at Facebook — one of the most admired, and most trusted leaders the company knew.

His leaving is no morale booster, that’s for sure.

Those are just some of the changes that have been going on in Menlo Park. In his typical saturnine style, Zuckerburg described a few of those changes in a Facebook Newsroom post.

Fidji Simo now heading up the Facebook app.

Chris Cox’s role remains unfilled!

Will Cathcart is the new head of WhatsApp.

Javier Olivan is behind the plan to integrate Messenger, Whatsapp, and Instagram.

The VPs of Instagram, Messenger, and Whatsapp will all report directly to Zuckerburg.

Zuckerburg doesn’t upset the applecart for no reason.

As one Facebook insider reported, this “was a burn the boats moment — a symbolic point of no return intended to rally the company around a new existential imperative.”

The News Feed has reached the end of its influence as a Facebook feature. The Verge explained, it “[has] already peaked, or will soon.” And since Zuckerburg knew this, Zuckerburg killed it.

Folks, this is a very big deal.

What Does All of this Mean?

To put it simply, these organizational changes indicate a massive new shift in Facebook’s direction.

News Feed will most likely disappear entirely and be subsumed by the primacy of messaging.

The News Feed has been a fixture of Facebook almost since the very beginning.

Thus, its sunsetting seems to make zero sense. Why would they bury it? It’s like Apple killing off the iPhone or Coca Cola discontinuing their Coke product.

One reason needs to be stated right off the bat.

The News Feed is really controversial.

If you think back on some of the momentous and headline-making news in recent years, Facebook’s News Feed has been caught up in it.

Russian meddling in the United States elections

Mental wellness and healthful social relationships

Privacy controversy

Live streaming horrific acts of hatred

The rise of fake news

It’s hard to blame the News Feed directly for the outcome of the 2016 United States elections or as the cause for bloodshed in New Zealand. But the News Feed was there all along, and it’s no longer viewed as the bringer of truth and connection that it was intended to be.

And that needs to change. An algo tweak isn’t the change we’re talking about.

A dead News Feed is the kind of change that Facebook needs.

The News Feed is an existential legal threat to Facebook’s ongoing viability in the modern age.

So, that’s the negative side of things.

But obviously, Facebook is presenting a more positive standpoint.

Zuckerburg explained it (sort of) in his newsroom note. Here are the highlights from that release that shed light (sort of) on the rationale for the shakeup:

…we organize our company to build out the privacy-focused social platform

…new product efforts

…clear plan for our apps, centered around making private messaging, stories and groups the foundation of the experience

…the next chapter of our work [is] building the privacy-focused social foundation

In his rambling shpiel, Zuckerberg used derivatives of the word “privacy” seven times, and derivatives of the word “messaging” four times.

Is it beginning to make sense?

We saw this coming. We called it.

Look, as much as Mark Zuckerburg talks about human connection and family and friends, Facebook is a business. Businesses have to make money.

Facebook makes money, not from grandmothers fawning over photos of their grandbabies, but from businesses — the institutions that want to sell stuff.

And we businesses fork over a load of cash — billions of dollars each year.

The shift to privacy and messaging will contribute to a bigger and more solid revenue stream for Facebook. It has to. It’s the nature of business.

Instead of the News Feed, Facebook offers businesses the potential to use messaging to more effectively reach their customers. And, with all three messaging apps merging under a single infrastructure, businesses can reach more customers than ever before.

What’s more, as we’ve recently seen, Facebook is testing a business-exclusive messaging inbox.

That’s a major nod to business revenue being the driving force for Facebook’s epic change.

It just makes sense. Business sense.

But there’s another reason, and it comes as no surprise to Facebook. Email as a marketing channel is slowly dying.

Every email marketer that I know is disgusted with abysmally low open rates and clickthroughs. Email is just not working.

Who’s responsible for poisoning the well of email marketing?

Messaging apps.

And the biggest culprit? Facebook Messenger.

Rather than get all huffy about it, though, smart marketers are out there churning out Facebook Messenger chatbots, creating Messenger drip campaigns, sending chat blasts, and basically living in unicorn land.

What does this mean for the future of Facebook marketing?

The future is not dire. The future is bright with unicorns prancing in fields of delicate purple and pink wildflowers.

In fact, if you’re using Facebook Messenger marketing with chatbots, you have absolutely nothing to fear.

(But if you’ve been hoping that organic Facebook posting is going to cut it, then you’ll have to adjust your expectations.)

We’re in a new era of marketing ruled by Facebook Messenger, not the News Feed.

Facebook Business Marketing Tips

Here are four Facebook Marketing Power Tips that will add unicorn power to your marketing efforts.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #1: Start using Facebook Messenger Chatbots Immediately

If the News Feed is dying, what are you going to do?

Find a way to reach your customers that does not involve the News Feed, right?

Yes, and the most effective way to do this is through Facebook Messenger.

  And the most effective way to use Facebook Messenger is with Messenger chatbots.

Chatbots are the future of marketing. And the future of marketing is now, especially as the News Feed sails into the sunset.

Sign up for MobileMonkey, and you can start creating Facebook Messenger chatbots today for free.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #2: Do not Rely on Organic Facebook Posting Any Longer.

The days of getting tons of clicks, likes, and engagement from your organic posts are gone.

Yes, gratefully, there are loopholes that allow you to stay alive.

  But the hottest opportunity of all is Facebook Messenger.

Quick disclaimer: Boosting posts is a legitimate method for maintaining your Facebook marketing presence as long as the News Feed gasps its final breaths. However, you need to be strategic about this.

Don’t just boost a post for kicks.

Boost posts that have a comment guard on them.

With a comment guard, also known as a Facebook post autoresponder, anyone who comments on your post is invited to join your Facebook Messenger list.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #3: Aggressively Create and Deploy Messenger Chatbots to Supplement and Outdo Email Marketing.

I’m not suggesting you fire your email person or delete your email list.

I am suggesting that you start using Facebook Messenger marketing in addition to email marketing. (And if you have to back off of email marketing to do it, go ahead.)

The reasons for this will become obvious if you Google “facebook messenger vs email.”

Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Anything you can do with email marketing, you can do with Facebook Messenger marketing only better.

Drip campaigns? Check.

Start a drip campaign and nurture your contact list on through to conversion.

What’s that? You’re staring at the read rate of 81% and the response rate of 53%?

Oh, nbd. That’s typical for Facebook Messenger drip campaigns.

What about using a chat blast instead of or in addition to an email blast?

Also possible.

Easily create a blast that pings your Messenger contact list with news, tips, or a topic that’s on your mind.

Once again, with engagement rates like these, it’s unfathomable that you would not use Messenger bots.

The death of the News Feed signals a new beginning for messaging. Facebook’s pivot to messaging is concurrent with the nadir of email marketing’s effectiveness.

Now is the time to jump into messenger marketing like your marketing success depends on it.

Because it does.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #4: Supercharge Your Facebook Messenger List Building.

Back in the day, email list building was everything.

I spent enormous amounts of money getting potential customers’ email addresses in exchange for free apps, trial memberships, data, reports, analytics, ebooks, and newsletters.

Those days are long gone.

Today, I focus on Facebook Messenger list building.

It’s easier, cheaper, and the results are far more effective.

Every month, I gain around 5,000 new Messenger contacts. For free.

Most of this happens on autopilot. I’m sure you’ve seen the chat widget in the lower right-hand corner when you’re on the MobileMonkey website.

Opening a conversation adds you to my contact list.

If you have a WordPress site, you can add the chatbot to your website for free.

Messenger list building is the new frontier of marketing because that’s where your audience is, that’s where they’re most active, and that’s where you’re going to have the highest engagement rates and conversions.

Build your Facebook Messenger contact list using chatbots.

It’s as simple as that.

The News Feed is Dead. Long Live Facebook Messenger Chatbots.

One of the most innovative and powerful tech companies in the history of humankind is shifting its focus right before our eyes.

Facebook is killing off its most innovative and enduring feature.

They are pivoting to messaging.

This reality shapes the way that you engage and connect with your customers. Stay ahead of the curve by building your presence on Messenger, creating Facebook Messenger chatbots, and making marketing progress like you’ve never experienced before.

Republished by permission. Original here.

Image: Shutterstock

More in: Facebook, Publisher Channel Content

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[unixcommerce]

Facebook News Feed Dies, What Marketers MUST Know

The Facebook News Feed is dead. It’s official.

Gone. Extinct. Poof. Nada. Oblivion.

In this article, I’ll tell you why I’m making this assertion, the conspiratorial events leading up to the death of the News Feed, what it all means for the future of Facebook marketing, and four solid takeaways that will superpower your marketing in a post-News Feed era.

After reading this article, you’ll be light-years ahead of most marketers. You’ll learn the unicorn moves in the brave new world of Facebook Messenger marketing — a world where the News Feed is a relic of history.

Facebook’s News Feed Is Dead: Here are the Facts

Let me lay out the issue in a single sentence: Facebook is restructuring all the leaders of their business to support a new focus on messaging and privacy.

The News Feed has been in decline for years. It’s final, gasping moments are at hand.

The ones to suffer most from the demise of News Feed are publishers — us, marketers, storytellers, businesses.

We get it. People don’t see our organic posts anymore.

But why this new round of outrage about the News Feed’s demise?

In the past, when the News Feed got dinged, it was usually preceded by a Mark Zuckerburg jeremiad about the loss of “friends and family at the core of the experience,” or a variation on that theme.

  Of course, these laments masked the cold, hard truth for us publishers who got screwed by the algorithm changes.

But now, it’s more than laments. It’s more than algorithm tweaks.

It’s people.

Zuckerburg has made moves. Bold moves.

What kind of moves? Here’s the Facebook shuffle that has all taken place within the last year.

These names may not be familiar to you, but basically, a whole lot of billionaires were just let out to pasture. Taken together, they tell the shocking story about how Facebook is changing.

WhatsApp Cofounder Jan Koum Left Facebook a While Back.

Koum mushroomed into a billionaire when Facebook bought his and co-founder Brian Acton’s startup, WhatsApp.

Now, Koum is spending more time playing ultimate frisbee than he spends tweaking his app. And Brian Acton jumped ship, too.

It was no secret that Koum and Facebook’s old guard crossed swords when Facebook started tinkering with WhatsApp’s most notable feature — ironclad encryption.

Chris Daniels just Resigned (March 14, 2019) after Recently Being Installed as the Leader of WhatsApp.

Daniels became Koum’s replacement but not for long. On the day that Fast Company called “ugly Thursday,” Daniels cleared out his desk and walked out the door.

That’s a pretty big move for a guy who just got the equivalent of a Facebook corner office.

Chris Cox, Third-highest at Facebook also Resigned.

This is big news.

Cox was engineer hire number 13 at Facebook and he spent 13 years at Facebook. (Let’s not go all superstitious about the string of 13s.)

However, Chris Cox is the highest ranking company officer ever to resign. He held the Chief Product Officer role, just one door down from Ms. Sandberg, Facebook’s COO.

  Chris Cox was a legend at Facebook — one of the most admired, and most trusted leaders the company knew.

His leaving is no morale booster, that’s for sure.

Those are just some of the changes that have been going on in Menlo Park. In his typical saturnine style, Zuckerburg described a few of those changes in a Facebook Newsroom post.

Fidji Simo now heading up the Facebook app.

Chris Cox’s role remains unfilled!

Will Cathcart is the new head of WhatsApp.

Javier Olivan is behind the plan to integrate Messenger, Whatsapp, and Instagram.

The VPs of Instagram, Messenger, and Whatsapp will all report directly to Zuckerburg.

Zuckerburg doesn’t upset the applecart for no reason.

As one Facebook insider reported, this “was a burn the boats moment — a symbolic point of no return intended to rally the company around a new existential imperative.”

The News Feed has reached the end of its influence as a Facebook feature. The Verge explained, it “[has] already peaked, or will soon.” And since Zuckerburg knew this, Zuckerburg killed it.

Folks, this is a very big deal.

What Does All of this Mean?

To put it simply, these organizational changes indicate a massive new shift in Facebook’s direction.

News Feed will most likely disappear entirely and be subsumed by the primacy of messaging.

The News Feed has been a fixture of Facebook almost since the very beginning.

Thus, its sunsetting seems to make zero sense. Why would they bury it? It’s like Apple killing off the iPhone or Coca Cola discontinuing their Coke product.

One reason needs to be stated right off the bat.

The News Feed is really controversial.

If you think back on some of the momentous and headline-making news in recent years, Facebook’s News Feed has been caught up in it.

Russian meddling in the United States elections

Mental wellness and healthful social relationships

Privacy controversy

Live streaming horrific acts of hatred

The rise of fake news

It’s hard to blame the News Feed directly for the outcome of the 2016 United States elections or as the cause for bloodshed in New Zealand. But the News Feed was there all along, and it’s no longer viewed as the bringer of truth and connection that it was intended to be.

And that needs to change. An algo tweak isn’t the change we’re talking about.

A dead News Feed is the kind of change that Facebook needs.

The News Feed is an existential legal threat to Facebook’s ongoing viability in the modern age.

So, that’s the negative side of things.

But obviously, Facebook is presenting a more positive standpoint.

Zuckerburg explained it (sort of) in his newsroom note. Here are the highlights from that release that shed light (sort of) on the rationale for the shakeup:

…we organize our company to build out the privacy-focused social platform

…new product efforts

…clear plan for our apps, centered around making private messaging, stories and groups the foundation of the experience

…the next chapter of our work [is] building the privacy-focused social foundation

In his rambling shpiel, Zuckerberg used derivatives of the word “privacy” seven times, and derivatives of the word “messaging” four times.

Is it beginning to make sense?

We saw this coming. We called it.

Look, as much as Mark Zuckerburg talks about human connection and family and friends, Facebook is a business. Businesses have to make money.

Facebook makes money, not from grandmothers fawning over photos of their grandbabies, but from businesses — the institutions that want to sell stuff.

And we businesses fork over a load of cash — billions of dollars each year.

The shift to privacy and messaging will contribute to a bigger and more solid revenue stream for Facebook. It has to. It’s the nature of business.

Instead of the News Feed, Facebook offers businesses the potential to use messaging to more effectively reach their customers. And, with all three messaging apps merging under a single infrastructure, businesses can reach more customers than ever before.

What’s more, as we’ve recently seen, Facebook is testing a business-exclusive messaging inbox.

That’s a major nod to business revenue being the driving force for Facebook’s epic change.

It just makes sense. Business sense.

But there’s another reason, and it comes as no surprise to Facebook. Email as a marketing channel is slowly dying.

Every email marketer that I know is disgusted with abysmally low open rates and clickthroughs. Email is just not working.

Who’s responsible for poisoning the well of email marketing?

Messaging apps.

And the biggest culprit? Facebook Messenger.

Rather than get all huffy about it, though, smart marketers are out there churning out Facebook Messenger chatbots, creating Messenger drip campaigns, sending chat blasts, and basically living in unicorn land.

What does this mean for the future of Facebook marketing?

The future is not dire. The future is bright with unicorns prancing in fields of delicate purple and pink wildflowers.

In fact, if you’re using Facebook Messenger marketing with chatbots, you have absolutely nothing to fear.

(But if you’ve been hoping that organic Facebook posting is going to cut it, then you’ll have to adjust your expectations.)

We’re in a new era of marketing ruled by Facebook Messenger, not the News Feed.

Facebook Business Marketing Tips

Here are four Facebook Marketing Power Tips that will add unicorn power to your marketing efforts.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #1: Start using Facebook Messenger Chatbots Immediately

If the News Feed is dying, what are you going to do?

Find a way to reach your customers that does not involve the News Feed, right?

Yes, and the most effective way to do this is through Facebook Messenger.

  And the most effective way to use Facebook Messenger is with Messenger chatbots.

Chatbots are the future of marketing. And the future of marketing is now, especially as the News Feed sails into the sunset.

Sign up for MobileMonkey, and you can start creating Facebook Messenger chatbots today for free.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #2: Do not Rely on Organic Facebook Posting Any Longer.

The days of getting tons of clicks, likes, and engagement from your organic posts are gone.

Yes, gratefully, there are loopholes that allow you to stay alive.

  But the hottest opportunity of all is Facebook Messenger.

Quick disclaimer: Boosting posts is a legitimate method for maintaining your Facebook marketing presence as long as the News Feed gasps its final breaths. However, you need to be strategic about this.

Don’t just boost a post for kicks.

Boost posts that have a comment guard on them.

With a comment guard, also known as a Facebook post autoresponder, anyone who comments on your post is invited to join your Facebook Messenger list.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #3: Aggressively Create and Deploy Messenger Chatbots to Supplement and Outdo Email Marketing.

I’m not suggesting you fire your email person or delete your email list.

I am suggesting that you start using Facebook Messenger marketing in addition to email marketing. (And if you have to back off of email marketing to do it, go ahead.)

The reasons for this will become obvious if you Google “facebook messenger vs email.”

Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Anything you can do with email marketing, you can do with Facebook Messenger marketing only better.

Drip campaigns? Check.

Start a drip campaign and nurture your contact list on through to conversion.

What’s that? You’re staring at the read rate of 81% and the response rate of 53%?

Oh, nbd. That’s typical for Facebook Messenger drip campaigns.

What about using a chat blast instead of or in addition to an email blast?

Also possible.

Easily create a blast that pings your Messenger contact list with news, tips, or a topic that’s on your mind.

Once again, with engagement rates like these, it’s unfathomable that you would not use Messenger bots.

The death of the News Feed signals a new beginning for messaging. Facebook’s pivot to messaging is concurrent with the nadir of email marketing’s effectiveness.

Now is the time to jump into messenger marketing like your marketing success depends on it.

Because it does.

Facebook Marketing Power Tip #4: Supercharge Your Facebook Messenger List Building.

Back in the day, email list building was everything.

I spent enormous amounts of money getting potential customers’ email addresses in exchange for free apps, trial memberships, data, reports, analytics, ebooks, and newsletters.

Those days are long gone.

Today, I focus on Facebook Messenger list building.

It’s easier, cheaper, and the results are far more effective.

Every month, I gain around 5,000 new Messenger contacts. For free.

Most of this happens on autopilot. I’m sure you’ve seen the chat widget in the lower right-hand corner when you’re on the MobileMonkey website.

Opening a conversation adds you to my contact list.

If you have a WordPress site, you can add the chatbot to your website for free.

Messenger list building is the new frontier of marketing because that’s where your audience is, that’s where they’re most active, and that’s where you’re going to have the highest engagement rates and conversions.

Build your Facebook Messenger contact list using chatbots.

It’s as simple as that.

The News Feed is Dead. Long Live Facebook Messenger Chatbots.

One of the most innovative and powerful tech companies in the history of humankind is shifting its focus right before our eyes.

Facebook is killing off its most innovative and enduring feature.

They are pivoting to messaging.

This reality shapes the way that you engage and connect with your customers. Stay ahead of the curve by building your presence on Messenger, creating Facebook Messenger chatbots, and making marketing progress like you’ve never experienced before.

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[vntodaynews]

Facebook shakes up management, launches blockchain division

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook Inc's annual F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, U.S. May 1, 2018. Photo: Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday ordered one of the biggest management shakeups in the history of the social network, giving more responsibility to his chief product officer and launching a blockchain division.

The shakeup appeared to consolidate power at the sprawling internet company, although it included no firings or outside hires and did not change the role of either Zuckerberg or Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.

Chris Cox, the chief product officer in charge of the flagship Facebook service, will now also oversee the widely used services Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, the company said.

WhatsApp has been given a relatively free hand since 2014, when Facebook bought it for $22 billion, but in recent months its two co-founders have announced their resignations, opening the door to closer integration.

Two other executives, Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer and Vice President of Growth Javier Olivan, will oversee other consolidated divisions, one related to “new platforms and infrastructure” and another for centralized services such as the ads system.

Facebook confirmed the staff moves, which were first reported by the tech news website Recode. The company declined to comment on the reasons behind the shakeup.

David Marcus, the head of Messenger for the past four years, is leaving that role to set up a group to explore how to use blockchain technology across Facebook, he said in a post on Facebook.

Blockchain, the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, could have other business applications as a ledger for recording transactions, although Marcus said Facebook was “starting from scratch.”

Stan Chudnovsky, who has been Messenger’s product chief, will succeed Marcus as head of the service, Facebook said.

Chris Daniels, who has been in charge of a Facebook effort to expand internet access, will be the head of WhatsApp, succeeding Jan Koum, the WhatsApp co-founder who said last week he was leaving the company.

A second WhatsApp co-founder, Brian Acton, left in September to start a foundation.

Messenger and WhatsApp each has more than 1 billion users, making them among the most widely used smartphone apps globally.

Kevin Weil, head of product at Instagram, is leaving that job to join Facebook’s blockchain division, and Adam Mosseri, head of the Facebook News Feed, will succeed Weil at Instagram, the company said.

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[ramialkarmi]

Facebook's reorganization is little more than chair-shuffling — and a missed opportunity for Mark Zuckerberg and company (FB)

Dogged by a series of controversies and facing potential regulations, Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg could use some help getting ahead of the company's problems.

The company unveiled a reorganization Tuesday that could have been an opportunity for Zuckerberg to shake things up and bring in new blood.

Instead, he's just shuffling around current executives and empowering long-serving lieutenants — changes that are unlikely to help the company rethink how it interacts with society.

It's pretty clear Mark Zuckerberg could use some fresh perspectives in running Facebook.

From fake news to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the social-networking giant has been embroiled in a seemingly endless string of controversies over the last two years. Zuckerberg's lieutenants obviously didn't help the company avoid such problems or quickly get past them. And it seems dubious that they are forward-thinking enough to help Facebook avoid similar problems in the future

Unfortunately, Zuckerberg indicated Tuesday we can expect more of the same. The company announced it's undergoing a major reorganization at the top. But the changes are little more than cosmetic. A handful of executives are changing their job titles, but no one's leaving and no one new is coming on board.

In other words, no one's being held accountable for the company's many missteps. And the same folks who advised Zuckerberg in the past will still be advising him going forward.

It's a big missed opportunity for Zuckerberg and Facebook.

The changes won't address Zuckerberg's shortcomings

All leaders need lieutenants who can cover their blind spots and who are strong enough to stand up to them and tell them when they're wrong. But that's particularly the case at Facebook.

Thanks to Facebook's stock structure, Zuckerberg controls the company. He can elect new directors, approve acquisitions, and change company policy by himself, without the votes of a single other shareholder. He dominates Facebook in a way few other CEOs could.

But Zuckerberg is also someone with limited life experiences. He's still relatively young and has spent his entire adult life running Facebook. He's consistently shown a tin ear for the concerns raised about his company, its services, or its power.

For years, none of that mattered. Facebook's sales, profit, reach, and stock price grew unabated. Despite warnings from privacy advocates, growing numbers of users signed on to the service and shared increasing amounts of information with it.

It's been a rocky road for Facebook of late

But the last two years have proved rocky for Facebook. First came reports that Russian-linked groups had hijacked Facebook to spread propaganda to influence the presidential election. The problem turned out to be much bigger than the initial reports suggested, with propaganda having been spread to influence numerous elections other than just the US one.

The company has dealt with a string of controversies since. It's been accused of helping foment violence against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar by being used to spread vicious hate speech. Its dominance along with Google of the digital advertising business has drawn scrutiny and calls for an antitrust investigation. It's come under fire from former employees for being a socially malevolent force, allegedly encouraging addiction among users.

And it's had to contend with news about two huge leaks of user data, one to Cambridge Analytica involving up to 87 million users and one to an assortment of hackers affecting most users of the site.

In nearly all the cases, Zuckerberg and his company were caught flat footed by the controversies. Instead of anticipating problems and avoiding them, Facebook was reduced to reacting to them, over and over.

But the problems weren't just bad public-relations. They seem to have started to affect the company. The amount of time people spend on Facebook nosedived in the fall after a series of changes the company made to its core social network — changes the company made in reaction to the series of controversies. Facebook's user growth in North America has flatlined and slowed markedly in Europe.

And regulatory changes could have even more dramatic effects. There are concerns a new privacy law in Europe will crimp Facebook's business there. During Zuckerberg's appearance before Congress last month, even some Republicans were critical of the company and hinting at the need for regulations to rein it in. Such changes could limit Facebook's future growth and, theoretically at least, potentially end in a breakup of the company.

Facebook's changes haven't and won't go far enough

Yes, Zuckerberg and Facebook have been making changes. They've revamped the News Feed. They're working on ways to identify and block hate speech. They're hiring thousands of moderators.

But the company still frequently seems tone-deaf and reactive. The latest example? Last week when it announced a new online dating service, a move that was widely mocked because it came amid broad and growing concerns about the amount of data Facebook already has on its users and its ability to keep control of that data.

In other words, now would be a good time for Zuckerberg to get ahead of the company's various problems. He's shown he can develop Facebook as a business and a product, but he's yet to show that the understands, can cope with, or proactively address the way his service affects and interacts with society.

He could stand to have people who have thought deeply on those issues and who see Facebook from a more critical vantage point advising him and guiding him.

That could have happened with this reorganization. But it didn't. Instead, Zuckerberg's just shuffling people around. David Marcus, for example, is moving from being head of Messenger to leading a new blockchain project. Adam Mosseri, who ran News Feed, is heading to Instagram to be a new vice president of product there.

Meanwhile, instead of bringing in fresh faces, the reorganization is going to empower longtime Facebook hands. Will Cathcart, who will lead product development at Facebook's core service, has been at the company since 2008. Chris Daniels, who will head up WhatsApp in place of the recently departed Jan Koum — who left in an apparent dispute with Zuckerberg over the future of the messaging service — has been at the company since 2011. The three men who will head the new divisions created by the reorganization — Chris Cox, Mike Schroepfer, and Javier Olivan — were already top lieutenants under Zuckerberg and have all served at the company for nearly a decade or more.

Zuckerberg did bring on a new board member on Tuesday. But it's unlikely he'll have much influence on the CEO.

So don't expect things Facebook and Zuckerberg to suddenly be able to put the controversies behind it and move on. Despite all the changes, the company looks more or less the same.

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg is acting like a man who can’t be fired — and the unique way his stock is structured could be why

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