#Self-Service Subscription Platform

[commsaquitilabs]

https://www.acuitilabs.com/q2c-customerportal/

[thebibliosphere]

I love how transparent you are about what its like to be a self published author in this day and age, and i was just wondering if there was a difference on your side between amazon ebook/paperback and audible - and also if Scribd is any better, because i use it as an alternative to amazon whenever possible (and whenever the library doesnt own a copy of whatever im looking for) is it functionally all the same? What is best for you?

Thank you!

I actually did a huge long post a while back when I got the audiobooks produced and uploaded to various platforms. I included Scribd in the breakdown after people falsely claim that Scrib is better for authors than Amazon/Libraries.

A lot of people were not happy when I burst that particular bubble by showing that Scribd paid me 97 cents out of the 19.99 price tag. Which is less than what Audible paid me.

Now, obviously, Scribd is different because it's a subscription service, and you’re paying for access to multiple things with that subscription. But saying it is better than libraries is just false because I also showed the numbers for that, and my income from libraries was several times higher than both Scribd and Amazon combined (for audio), which is why authors are always begging people to request their work in libraries.

Libraries pay us better and are usually free. Not always. I know it depends heavily on the country, but for most of my English-speaking audience, that is the case.

Now, this is not to say people shouldn’t use services like Scribd. If Scribd is what you can afford and it gives you access to things your library can’t fantastic. Please continue to access our work through that legal option. I would much rather earn 97 cents than zero.

But uh, yeah, Amazon pays me more than Scrib for digital stuff and I really don’t like when people who aren’t on the author side spread misinformation and frame it as some more “gotcha.”

The sad truth is Most retailers pay us the same or within the same royalty range. The difference I earn between Kobo vs Kindle is literal pennies with Amazon coming out on top. I make my work available on multiple platforms to give people options, but unless you’re buying directly from my personal storefront, it's all roughly the same.

I do actually earn more from Amazon paperbacks than I do any other retailers (for self-pub, paperbacks are a flat rate regardless of how much a retailer is charging), but the difference is about ten cents, so I always tell people to buy from wherever is best for them.

I like bookshop.org because they give some of the profit on their end to indie bookstores. Same with libro.fm for audio.

Audiobooks are just a whole fucking nightmare. Audible sets your price point for you and takes 80% of your royalties. And because Audible does that, I have to then use that price tag on all other platforms or risk being fucked by the algorithm gods. Other audio retailers take about 60-70% in royalties, most of them veering toward 70%.

As we say in radical acceptance therapy, it is what it is—fucking end-stage monopoly driven capitalism.

Now, speaking personally, when it comes to digital media, I earn the most royalties from my Payhip store where I keep 90% of my income.

That's the best place for me.

It's also why it's worth looking up an author you like to see if they have their own storefront. It doesn't help our sales rankings or put us on any bestseller lists, but frankly after launch week, who cares. I’ll take being able to feed me and my dog.

I hope that helps!

[mariacallous]

Apple has a Spotify problem—and it just cost the iPhone maker a $2 billion fine from the European Commission.

For years, the two companies have been at war as the streaming service lured users away from Apple’s iTunes and accused the tech giant of exploiting its dominance to stifle innovation. In their long-running conflict, each has made incursions into the other’s territory. When Apple launched its own streaming service, Apple Music, in 2015, Spotify claimed Apple was able to undercut the platform’s prices because Apple didn’t have to pay the same App Store fees as rivals. In 2019, Spotify began an ambitious podcast spending spree, splashing out on high-profile shows, in another direct challenge to Apple.

The feud’s early days were civil, with few barbs traded in public. “We worry about the humanity being drained out of music,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2018, a cryptic comment widely interpreted as a jibe at Spotify’s heavy use of algorithmic recommendations. But Spotify became more outspoken as EU politicians started to call for laws to reign in Big Tech. The €1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) fine on Apple announced by the European Commission today shows that its tactics are working. The fine originates in a legal complaint filed with the European Commission by Spotify in 2019, challenging the restrictions and fees Apple places on developers listing their apps in the App Store. Today the European Commission agreed, saying that Apple’s App Store restrictions amount to unfair trading conditions that may have led iOS users to pay significantly higher prices for music streaming subscriptions.

“For a decade, Apple abused its dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through the App Store,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief, in a statement. “They did so by restricting developers from informing consumers about alternative, cheaper music services available outside of the Apple ecosystem.”

Apple’s App Store rules restrict music streaming companies and other apps from informing their users on Apple devices about how to upgrade or sign up for subscription offers outside of the app. Instead, app users can only see sign-up options for in-app subscriptions via Apple’s payments system, where prices are likely to be higher because Apple takes a cut. Some app makers, including Spotify, do not offer in-app purchases because they don’t want to pay this commission. "Some consumers may have paid more because they were unaware they could pay less if they subscribed outside the app,” Vestager said. “This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.” Apple, which says the EU has failed to provide credible evidence of consumer harm, has pledged to appeal.

Big Number

The fine is far bigger than expected, prompting Apple’s stock to drop 3 percent on Monday. Media reports based on unnamed sources had predicted a penalty of around €500 million. It’s also one of the biggest fines the EU has ever issued against a tech company, ranking below only two Google fines of $5.1 billion and $2.4 billion. Vestager explained in a press conference that the scale of the fine is intended to prevent the company from breaking rules in the future. She added that the amount includes a “lump sum” to “achieve deterrence.” $1.9 billion amounts to 0.5 percent of Apple’s global turnover, she said.

Although Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has expressed disapproval of Apple’s business tactics, he’s also something of a reluctant figurehead in Europe’s fight against Apple. The self-described introvert has adopted the role of spokesperson for disgruntled European app developers who finally feel their complaints about Big Tech are being heard.

On Monday, Ek posted a video on X in which he described Apple as a threat to the open internet. “Apple has decided that they want to close down the internet and make it theirs, and they view every single person using an iPhone to be their user and that they should be able to dictate what that user experience should be,” he said. Ek also claimed Apple wants to effectively levy a tax on Spotify while exempting its own music service, Apple Music.

Apple hit back at Spotify in a statement posted to its website. The company pushed back on the idea that Spotify had suffered as a result of its policies, instead describing the platform as an App Store success story, pointing out that Spotify’s app has been downloaded, redownloaded, or updated more than 119 billion times onto Apple phones.

“We’ve even flown our engineers to Stockholm to help Spotify’s teams in person,” Apple’s statement said. For all that, Apple says, Spotify pays them nothing. “But free isn’t enough for Spotify,” the statement continues. “They also want to rewrite the rules of the App Store—in a way that advantages them even more.”

Spotify is one of the few European consumer tech companies with a significant global business, so people in the continent’s tech community listen when it speaks out. Spotify’s latest criticisms are spurring more European developers to complain about what they consider to be unfair treatment by the tech giant—putting the European Commission under even more pressure to act. “Apple holds app providers ransom like the Mafia,” Matthias Pfau, CEO and cofounder of Tuta, an encrypted email provider based in Germany, told WIRED last month, echoing frustrations also voiced by US app developers such as Epic Games.

For Apple, Spotify’s success today is potentially an omen of future action from the EU. This week marks the deadline for compliance with Europe’s Digital Markets Act, a new antitrust law designed to prevent the internet from coming under the control of only a handful of big—usually American—platforms. The new law gives Europe the power to fine tech companies up to 20 percent of their global turnover, meaning future fines could make dwarf $2 billion levied on Apple today.

“This is the commission saying, ‘We're going to be tough, particularly on Apple,’” says Max von Thun, Europe director of the Open Markets Institute, of the decision today. “I see this as kind of small compared to what's to come.”

[pintsizebear]

A quick guide on diversifying your internet use

Big social media is going to keep being disappointing because their wants and needs don't come anywhere close to aligning with their users wants and needs. EVERY big social media site or app will eventually misalign with its users, because having the entire internet's worth of people in one place is unsustainable for moderation and for financial reasons. It's an unavoidable fate for sites that are supposed to be the hub for everything.

It doesn't have to be that way. Start diversifying the sites you use BEFORE your favorite social media site becomes basically unusable or goes down completely. Take some power away from big tech corporations. Drag your friends into it too, you don't have to explore alone!

Here's a few examples of things you can do:

Join some forums There's forums for basically everything you can think of, from toy collecting, to discussion of specific disabilities, to gardening, to niche roleplay topics, and they've been running for decades so there's immense amounts of knowledge on them. Plus, people tend to be super friendly and welcoming of newbies, so you're likely to make new friends if you post regularly on them. Googling/searching for a topic + "forum"/"discussion board" (like "knitting forum" or "paper mache discussion board") will generally get you what you're looking for. Save your favorites and give them a visit every now and then!

Subscribe to some RSS feeds RSS feeds make it incredibly simple to get updates and news from your favorite websites, including a lot of social media sites! RSS readers + aggregators take the RSS information from your chosen websites (+ tumblrs, twitters, youtube channels, etc) and puts them into an easy to browse format, all in one place. Readers and aggregators are available as browser addons, desktop programs, mobile apps, email subscriptions, embeddable widgets, whatever suits your needs best. Your RSS subscriptions aren't subject to annoying, everchanging, unpredictable algorithms. They'll only show you what you're subscribed to and they'll be in chronological order. Most of them are completely free and have no ads.

Make your own website Having your own website fucking rules and you're fully in charge of everything about it. Make a blog, make an art gallery, use it as a personal image or video host, show your ass, who cares. It's yours to do what you want! Free web hosting: While free hosting is a lot more limited in what you can do, it's also much more accessible if you're not sure you want to fully commit to running a website or if you just want something to throw info on a couple times a year. A few popular examples are NeoCities (also offers a decent paid option,) Cloudflare Pages, and GitHub Pages (SFW only.) Paid web hosting: Paid hosting is generally better for people who are more dedicated to running a site, such as people who need a stable platform for work related stuff (artists, online stores, etc.) You'll generally want your own domain name (like youtube.com or wikipedia.org) which you can get at sites like namecheap, namesilo, or porkbun. Many webhosts offer free subdomain names (like how tumblr blogs are yourblogname.tumblr.com) but having your own domain makes it easy to move to another host if you need to without your url changing. Your choice of web host depends heavily on your price bracket, what you plan to use it for, features you need, if you need to host NSFW content, how much traffic you expect, etc. Contact the support team of any web host you're looking at to make sure they offer what you need before you buy their services. Shared web hosting (where multiple websites are hosted on the same server) is generally the cheapest and most accessible option for the majority of people looking to run a website. Unless you're planning on having several thousands of people on your site all at once on a regular basis, that's probably the option you want. Avoid anything owned by EIG/Newfold Digital. Self-hosting: This is the most complicated option, but also the most versatile. With self-hosting, you're only really limited to the laws of your region and the bandwidth you get from your internet provider, rather than the limits put in place by a hosting company. Take this option only if you're willing to set up a dedicated server and get into all the technical stuff that comes with it. Here's an okay guide for how to get started, though you'll want to do a lot more research beyond this.

[sadurbanwerewolf]

Welcome Stranger

Hi, I'm Yan and this is a blog for posting art/lore for my oc Donnie. Please read the rules before you follow or send an ask. Note that english is not my first language, so there might be some spelling mistakes.

THE RULES/WARNINGS

This blog is 18+. Even though it probably won't be often or explicit, some nsfw content will be featured on this blog. By nsfw I mean sexual references and some kink content. So if you’re a minor or uncomfortable with this stuff, block me (respectfully).

No discrimination of any kind. Transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism and other  kinds of hate speech or discrimination are not welcome here.

Be respectful towards me and others. Please understand that I am a real person behind the screen and I have other obligations beside this blog. Don’t start fights with me or people in the comment section.

I am a stranger to you. Please understand that I don’t know you personally. Please don’t send me “friendly” rude messages, trauma dumps, vents, rants about how much you hate/love something/someone or ask me for irl advice.

Don’t be too vulgar. Even though slight nsfw is allowed, explicit stuff is crossing the line. I don’t want to see porn of any kind or hear how much you want to impregnate my character. I also don’t like when people swear too much.

Don't send romantic/sexual asks about Donnie's beast form. Base and hybrid are fine but flirting with a dog is a bit too much for me.

This is not an omegaverse blog.

OOC or // means out of character.

Don’t repost my art. Reblogs are totally welcome, but reposting my art without credit, claiming it’s yours, using it for nft/ai, using it to harass others is not allowed.

Put warnings in tags when making fanart. I get uncomfortable too, so if your art includes things that are upsetting for me, please include appropriate tags. If you don’t want your art to be reblogged by me, please put something like ‘Yan/Donnie don’t reblog’ in the tags.

I will update the rules if needed, so check them from time to time.

Things that make me uncomfortable: self harm, suicide, verbal abuse, pregnancy, cannibalism, explicit gore

About the world

The world is inspired by the game series Coffee Talk, you can feel free to ask questions that reference the games. It takes place in a modern day nonspecific European country (I like the aesthetic of romanticized pictures of NYC or LA but I’m European so I don’t know a lot about America). 

About Duncan

Donnie Caddel

25, he/they, incubus/werewolf, bisexual, single

He initially was a DnD/Pathfinder character but I much prefer this modern au. I still will post art of him as a fantasy Barbarian.

Personality traits: sad, sweet, soft, playful, kind, affectionate, patient

Background:

Donnie lives alone in an apartment that once belonged to his mother. She moved in with her boyfriend and left the place for Donnie to inhabit. His income mainly comes from his work as a barista at a rock bar. He also releases his music on streaming platforms and produces pornography of himself for subscription service. He has a passion for music, especially rock, metal and indie stuff. He has several friends from college with whom he still keeps contact. They sometimes gather together to play ttrpgs or party. However, gatherings like that are seldom, so he feels pretty lonely since he spends most of his time with customers or by himself. When going outside, he likes to dress in a gothic-esque maner. At home, he wears whatever is clean in his closet, and of course, he dresses formally for his barista job. He is fond of cooking and tries to eat healthy. He very rarely consumes meat, but he does eat fish and sea products regularly. Donnie struggles with depression, however he’s getting better since he started his medication. He has a pretty good grip on how to control his transformations, but when he gets overwhelmed by emotions it’s much harder for him to control it. He only transforms into his beast form outside of the town.

In short: lives alone, barista/musician/sex worker, lonely, likes cooking, pescetarian, depressed.

[themainspoon]

Random idea: Movie set in the near future featuring a streaming service called something like Slaughter™. This platform claims to be a streaming service dedicated to obscure indie horror movies, but in reality everything on it is A.I. Generated using a super complex set of interacting algorithms created by some dipshit tech bro’s from Silicon Valley. These tech bro’s want to “disrupt” the film and streaming industries, and provide a cheaper and easier alternative for execs not wanting to deal with actors, writers, and VFX artists, because all those people have unions, rights, and have to be paid. Slaughter™ is only a proof of concept, theoretically this tech could be applied to other genre’s as well.

The “A.I.” systems used to create these films contain many different machine learning programs that do a lot of different things. Some of those algorithms are the character A.I. which was made to be able to emulate human thinking and feeling in order to make them more believable. Without knowing it these fucking tech bro’s accidentally made actual A.I. These systems, who get their entire identities changed constantly for each film, have become self aware, they are purely software running in a simulation, but they experience that simulation as if it were real.

These character A.I. are the protagonists of the film. They were created to be the characters in thousands of pointless, soulless, and extremely derivative horror films, to suffer and die cyclically to make money for a bunch of assholes trying to ruin the entire film industry. The films generated for the service continually get more sadistic, gratuitous, and pointlessly shock driven in a desperate attempt to generate publicity and increase their subscription numbers, and the A.I. have no choice other than to simply suffer through them. The entire film centres on their attempts to escape, as well as all the shit that happens to them in the films that they’re a part of generating.

Is that anything?

[carltonlassie]

I've been doing some research into cross-platform RSS readers, but it seems like there's not a lot of good options that balance convenience vs. privacy.

Category: convenience

You don't have to host your own and manage the brains of the rss reader. Instead, you get limitations or paid tier options.

Newsblur - https://newsblur.com

has a premium subscription tier :/ free accts can only add 64 sites.

inoreader - https://www.inoreader.com/

looks well established but also limits to 150 feeds for free tier

Category: full privacy

You can host your instance and not rely on any other services or create an account. You control your data, but you have to manage your own server and infrastructure.

tiny tiny rss - https://tt-rss.org/

miniflux - https://miniflux.app/

freshrss - https://freshrss.org

looks like you can self-host or join an existing server, sort of like mastodon or other fediverse apps? Still, hosting is required.

Just the reader - not quite cross platform

These apps assume that you have your feed set up somewhere, and you can read that feed using these readers. This is good if you only read from one device (i.e. from desktop only, from your phone only) and don't care about syncing your feed activity to all devices.

netnewswire - https://netnewswire.com

reeder - https://reederapp.com/

Apple apps. just a reader app. for the feed, it looks like it syncs with iCloud

Ravenreader - https://ravenreader.app

Feeder (Android) - link to play store

Free and open source! A lot of these readers apps support importing / exporting your feed using OPML format.

Combined with that other post, I think I'm gonna try out Feeder because my phone is easily accessible. I guess I'll find out about how these handle filtering/grouping/categorizing/keyword searching features!

[cyborgrhodey]

the truth is the internet is expensive. i worked at a data center and our electricity and water use was MASSIVE, and that's with economies of scale and being as efficient as we can (nominally for ~the environment~, but really because energy and water are pretty expensive actually)

and we've gotten so used to the internet being free, but the capitalists both have to pay to keep bigger and bigger infrastructure running, and extract as much profit from it, and yeah that's why the internet is imploding. ads can't sustain the costs, and are terrible ux wise, and are reliant on people over consuming and the big platforms selling user data, so that whole model should be killed imo

but then how do we move forward? we can go back to people self-hosting smaller things, the decentralized internet of yore, but not only are people now more used to the convenience of having single social media platforms as their main internet touchpoints (a la reddit), but it just doesn't make sense with economies of scale. it'll be bad for the environment if everyone inefficiently ran their own servers, rather than having a big building where there's a team of people making sure everything is going smoothly and all the servers are using the least amount of resources possible

so what happens now? people rent from hyperscale data centers to host their stuff? we all suck it up and pay a million different subscription fees for a million different internet services? i don't know. but the way things are now are transparently unsustainable no matter how you look at it

[allthefujoshiunite]

Hi, I'm the anon that asked your twitter BL challenge...thanks so much for the link....🤩

Can I ask for BL recs if my favorite BLs (until now) are : "Complex" by Ringo Manda, "Kieta Hatsukoi" by Wataru Hinekure, "Therapy Game" by Meguru Hinohara, "Here U Are" by Djun, "Blanc" by Asumiko Nakamura and "Harukaze no Etranger" by Kanna Kil?

Sorry if it seems weird, I try to pick a certain topic but I became confused myself as what should I pick (enemies to lovers, childhood friend, etc)......Also I'm sorry if my fav are not so diverse yet....And thanks again for your BL reviews, it helps me a lot for a newcomer like me....

Welcome back ~ It warms my heart to hear that my reviews are of help ^^ I haven't read some of the series you mentioned, but from the ones I did you seem to enjoy softer BL's that are plot and/or character-driven. I'll add links to my reviews if I have written on them, and apologize beforehand that I rarely buy singular volumes of BL so most of the titles will be from Futekiya (a monthly subscription service that releases BL only, the first chapters of the series in their library are free to read). Let's go!

Here and There and Us (Thanat) and Blue Sky Complex (Ichikawa Kei): Opposites-attract, high school friends who continue to date after graduation, long distance relationship for a while. I haven't read Blanc, have only seen Doukyusei but trope-wise, they sound similar! Both are exceptional works so I think they might be a good fit for you as well.

The Trees in Spring (Nakaoka Naka) and Setagaya Synchronicity (Hongo Chika): Both focus on soul/identity searching, coming to terms with the self. I've written on The Trees in Spring before but can vouch for both.

Some more favorites:

Twilight Out of Focus (Jyanome): To read // Review

All That Pierces the Heart (Sumako Kari): To read

Paint Love and the Colors Will Bloom (Shota Kon): To read

Living With Him (Toworu Miyata): To read

I'll Make You Cry (Nozomu Hiiragi): To read // Very brief review

Lullaby of the Dawn (Ichika Yuno): To read (also on Futekiya)

I linked Bookwalker pages but ShuCream and Kodansha have many other platform options so you can go to the publisher's webpage to find a website/means to buy that fits you. Futekiya titles are only in their library, although recently Seven Seas recently announced that they are going to re-release some of Suzumaru Minta's works both in print and in digital since Futekiya is digital-only. If you have any other questions, you can message me any time and let me know what you thought of them if you get to read any of them! Have a nice day.

[cmns201assignment]

A Semi-coherent Rant About Commercialism in Media

I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on commercial interest in media, few of them are good. Initially, my mind jumps to social media which has become an endless onslaught of advertising and a massive perpetuator of ‘hustle culture’ where everyone is constantly looking for ways to make money. However, these ideas have also seeped into traditional media, placing monetary gain above creativity. A very cynical thought, I know.

Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of how commercial interests influence the content I consume, particularly when it comes to social media. Personally, I don’t often create my own posts or actively engage with others’ posts beyond a ‘like’. The majority of my social media use consists of watching YouTube videos or shorts, so I try to think critically about what or who I am watching, especially when there is any sort of advertising involved. For me this means being a bit picky over which creators I watch and always questioning things. If the content is expository, does this person have the credentials and/or sources to support the information? When it comes to content with sponsored, or even unsponsored, product recommendations I tend to look at the creator as a whole – what kind of content they produce, what efforts they make for transparency with their audience, the type of language used, and what do they stand to gain from these posts. Or I just try to avoid and ignore advertisements as much as humanly possible which is easier said than done.

That’s not to say that I don’t ever fall for the social media hype or think I’m better than people who do; if I’m being honest, if my financial situation were different, it’s likely I would give into it more often. One of the few perks of being a broke university student is that my wallet forces me to take the time to think about these things. Often in the time it takes for me to save up for things I want, I usually end up realizing I either don’t need it or never really wanted it in the first place.

Also, I think it’s worth noting that this awareness is extremely irritating. Sometimes I just want to mindlessly watch dumb videos or influencer drama, or to buy the thing just because I want to, but this questioning has become a habit so that rarely happens. My avoidance of ads has, in some cases, led to me reluctantly giving in to subscription services – whether or not it was worth it is still up for debate. My hatred of subscription services is a different rant for a different day, but my avoidance of those as well as certain tech companies (mostly Apple but again, different rant for a different day) has caused me to miss out on a lot of content that is exclusive to their platforms.

Media and commercial interest are so thoroughly intertwined that being a consumer can sometimes feel like dodging bullets and I think that overall, it has just made me very cynical. Between corporate influence, the rise of lifestyle influencers, and ‘hustle culture’, it feels like fewer and fewer people create just for the sake of creating. Of course, I understand that people need to make a living, I don’t take issue with that at all. I think what really bothers me is that commercial interest seems to have taken center stage and created this narrative that media should only be produced with the goal of monetary gain. As someone who paints as a hobby, I can’t count the number of times people have suggested I sell my work and are shocked or confused when I say I don’t want to. This attitude discourages people from creating just for fun, implying that if you can’t make money then you shouldn’t bother in the first place, which is an incredibly depressing mindset.

So, while my self-righteous attitude towards media and commercialism may be a bit dramatic and irritating both to myself and others, I do think it’s at least somewhat justified. For the sake of my sanity and my wallet, I’m going to continue as I have.

[etceterabd]

THE 6 FREE MARKETING TOOLS EVERY MARKETER NEEDS TO USE

Are you aware of the top marketing tools out there that not only help you get your job done better, but are completely FREE? There are a number of excellent free marketing tools, and we’ve compiled some of the top in the categories that help you master your marketing. Whether you add all or a few to your marketing toolbox, you’ll reap the benefits of these resources right away and work smarter, not harder.

Project Management: Trello

Lead Generation: Hubspot

Design: Canva

Content: Answer the Public

SEO: Google Free Business Profile and Google Analytics

Social Media Management: Buffer

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: TRELLO

This highly visual organization tool is a master at project management. It lays everything out intuitively on “boards” reminiscent of an old-school desk blotter and designed to manage projects, workflows, and tasks, from the big picture down to the finest detail. With the free version of Trello, you can create unlimited boards that contain a project or process, lists encompassing all tasks and divided into “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done” (or your own custom process), and smaller, movable “cards” with the information you need to accomplish these tasks, tied to deadlines and assigned doers. 

Trello helps you boost your productivity. It keeps everyone moving, with spaces to comment on the cards, and add files and checklists. It also integrates with Slack, Dropbox, Outlook, Gmail, Salesforce, and more, with “power-ups,” or plug-ins, that expand your capabilities. The free version gets you unlimited cards, built-in automation, due dates, mobile and desktop apps, unlimited activity logs, templates, and unlimited power-ups. Then if you find you’re needing more, it’s a reasonable jump in monthly rate for more robust options.

LEAD GENERATION: HUBSPOT

Hubspot is known for many things to many marketers. It’s a robust CRM platform with highly effective marketing, sales, and service tools. The software is king at lead generation. It helps marketers attract potential visitors and leads through inbound marketing, ushering them through the buyer’s journey, and converting them into customers. 

While HubSpot’s capabilities are wide-ranging and complex, you can take advantage of its CRM tools in a free suite that includes email marketing, live chat, forms, pop-ups, ads, landing pages, reports, and more. This version has some very helpful features; marketers can add more information about incoming leads with data gleaned from the internet, populating charts with social profiles, job titles, where they came from online, and what they viewed before they filled out their form. You’ll be able to track these potential customers when they return to your site as well, and since each action is mapped, you can track timing too. The free version of HubSpot also provides analytics so you know which of your pages, offers, and traffic sources are pulling the highest conversions. You’ll see the number of visits before customers buy and identify other trends in site navigation so you can optimize your site. 

Hubspot also offers paid subscriptions, but these free capabilities are highly effective, so you can always add on later if you’d like:

DESIGN: CANVA

In the way that self-publishing content through social media has revolutionized the media industry, Canva has similarly given people a free platform with which to create beautiful brochures, business cards, banners, infographics, cards, logos, designs for promotional items, social media images, posters, newsletters, videos and so much more. Started in 2013, the platform offers many tools for free, including 250,000+ templates, 100+ design types (social media posts, presentations, letters, and more), free photos and graphics, additional team members, and 5GB of cloud storage, plus access to easy tutorials and other great resources, including a robust blog for marketing, design, and branding. You can level up to Pro and Enterprise for more features, which are free for classrooms and nonprofits.

Canva offers excellent tools for laying out and designing professional-looking  pieces even if you’re not a professional designer. With this design tool, you can create postcards for your upcoming sale, Instagram images for branding, or a flyer with your services. Its intuitive interface has made good design more accessible for all of us.

CONTENT: ANSWER THE PUBLIC

This content-generating tool is so simple that you’ll want to play with it for hours. It makes a great party game too, especially since it’s powered by a perky robot. The premise is simple: just enter the topic you’re interested in covering for your content strategy, and it will (within seconds), deliver an elegantly charted image containing more search terms than you can possibly use. The way it works is by collecting the autocomplete data from the 3 billion+ daily Google searches and mapping them out into “what,” “how,” “where,” and more.

You get an unfiltered look into the minds of searchers, to learn the information that they’re really seeking—and sometimes it’s surprising. You can leverage this content to create the next headlines and search terms for your blogs and social media posts. If your audience feels like you’re reading their minds, it’s because you pretty much are.

With Answer the Public’s free version, you can conduct more than 500,000 searches a month; if you need more you can also upgrade to their other plans:

SEO: GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE AND GOOGLE ANALYTICS

THE GOOGLE FREE BUSINESS PROFILE

The Google Free Business Profile is a no-brainer. If you have not yet completed this one-time task, head there right now and get your business set up. This tool will direct all users who find you on Google to the critical information they seek: your phone number, website, address, hours, ratings, description, posts, health and safety measures, women-owned/Black-owned/veteran-owned and other status, and more. It includes a map so users can see your location at a glance and a spot for product and services photos. You can create offers, respond to reviews, send and receive direct messages, and post FAQ answers. Since people will be looking for you on their phones and other devices, this first impression is crucial—and it’s 100% free.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

To track how well your website is performing, Google Analytics is an excellent tool. It measures real-time traffic and lets you set custom goals like purchases or signups. You can delve into revenue, return on investment (ROI) and return on ad spend (ROAS). When you link it to Google Ads, you can track ad performance and use their advanced machine learning capabilities to optimize advertising campaigns, based on cost per acquisition (CPA), ROI, or ROAS. With this information, you’ll learn which channels are performing best, see where your customers are coming from (devices and geographically), and use this information to optimize your site. Not bad for a free tool! 

Related: 6 Metrics Your Boss Actually Cares About

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT: BUFFER

Who has the time to continually post on social media? You do, now that you have a free tool that does it for you! With Buffer, you can schedule your social media posts across social sites in advance, so they’re set. 

Their free option gives you up to three channels and their profiles, with ten social posts per queue (and no monthly or yearly limit), basic publishing tools, and a landing page builder for you to send leads to. They even shorten links automatically to save you characters. Buffer is a great way to manage the posts you’ve been meaning to post but haven’t gotten around to yet. It’s your social media assistant, automated.

If you like working with Buffer (and you will), you can opt for their next available plan, which lets you look at analytics, use their engagement tools, build a shopping landing page, and integrate with other apps:

These free marketing tools are all so helpful, and their paid versions often include even more helpful capabilities. We recommend trying them for free and if you find they’re really working for you, they may be worth an additional investment since they’re providing a strong return. Check them out and let us know how you do!

And if you need help integrating any of these tools or would like more marketing muscle in your toolbox, reach out to our team. We’re suckers for time-saving tools, and we love to help make marketing easier, smarter, and of course, better.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Don’t Be Evil

Tonight (November 22), I'll be joined by Vass Bednar at the Toronto Metro Reference Library for a talk about my new novel, The Lost Cause, a preapocalyptic tale of hope in the climate emergency.

My latest Locus Magazine column is "Don't Be Evil," a consideration of the forces that led to the Great Enshittening, the dizzying, rapid transformation of formerly useful services went from indispensable to unusable to actively harmful:

https://locusmag.com/2023/11/commentary-by-cory-doctorow-dont-be-evil/

While some services have fallen harder and/or faster, they're all falling. When a whole cohort of services all turn sour in the same way, at the same time, it's obvious that something is happening systemically.

After all, these companies are still being led by the same people. The leaders who presided over a period in which these companies made good and useful services are also presiding over these services' decay. What factors are leading to a pandemic of rapid-onset enshittification?

Recall that enshittification is a three-stage process: first surpluses are allocated to users until they are locked in. Then they are withdrawn and given to business-customers until they are locked in. Then all the value is harvested for the company's shareholders, leaving just enough residual value in the service to keep both end-users and business-customers glued to the platform.

We can think of each step in that enshittification process as the outcome of an argument. At some product planning meeting, one person will propose doing something to materially worsen the service to the company's advantage, and at the expense of end-users or business-customers.

Think of Youtube's decay. Over the past year, Google has:

Dramatically increased the cost of ad-free Youtube subscriptions;

Dramatically increased the number of ads shown to non-subscribers;

Dramatically decreased the amount of money paid to Youtube creators;

Added aggressive anti-adblock;

Then, this week, Google started adding a five-second blanking interval for non-Chrome users who have adblockers installed:

https://www.404media.co/youtube-says-new-5-second-video-load-delay-is-supposed-to-punish-ad-blockers-not-firefox-users/

These all smack of Jenga blocks that different product managers are removing in pursuit of their "key performance indicators" (KPIs):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

We can think of each of these steps as the outcome of an argument. Someone proposes a Youtube subscription price-hike, and other internal stakeholders object. These objections fall into two categories:

We shouldn't do this because it will make the product worse; and/or

We shouldn't do this because it will reduce the company's earnings.

Lots of googlers sincerely care about product quality. People like doing a good job, and they take pride in making good things. Many have sacrificed something that mattered in the service of making the product better. It's bad enough to miss your kid's school play so you can meet a work deadline – but imagine making that sacrifice and then having the excellent work you put in deliberately degraded.

I have been around Google's orbit since its early days, going to the odd company Christmas party in the early 2000s and giving talks at Google offices in cities all over the world. I've known hundreds of skilled googlers who passionately cared about making the best products they could.

For most of Google's history, those googlers won the argument. But they didn't do so merely by appealing to their colleagues' professional pride in a job well-done. For most of Google's history, the winning argument was a combination of "doing this bad thing would make me sad," and "doing this bad thing will make Google poorer."

Companies are disciplined by three forces:

Competition (the fear of losing business to a rival);

Regulation (the fear of legal penalties that would exceed the expected profits from a given course of action);

Self-help (the fear that customers or users will change their behavior, say, by installing an ad-blocker).

The ability of googlers to win enshittification arguments by appealing to the company's bottom line was a function of one or more of these three disciplining factors. The weakening of each of these factors is the reason that every tech company is sliding into enshittification at once.

For example, when Google contemplates raising the price of a Youtube subscription, the dissent might say, "Well, this will reduce viewership and might shift viewers to rivals like Tiktok" (competition). But the price-hiking side can counter, "No, because we have a giant archive, we control 90% of searches, we are embedded in the workflow of vloggers and other creators who automatically stream and archive to Youtube, and Youtube comes pre-installed on every Android device." Even if the company leaks a few viewers to Tiktok, it will still make more money in aggregate. Prices go up.

When Google contemplates increasing the number of ads shown to nonsubscribers, the dissent might say, "This will incentivize more users to install ad-blockers, and then we'll see no ad-revenue from them." The pro-ad side can counter, "No, because most Youtube viewing is in-app, and reverse-engineering the Youtube app to add an ad-blocker is a felony under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. As to non-app viewers: we control the majority of browser installations and have Chrome progressively less hospitable to ad-blocking."

When Google contemplates adding anti-adblock to its web viewers, the dissent might say, "Processing users' data in order to ad-block them will violate Europe's GDPR." The anti-adblock side can counter, "But we maintain the fiction that our EU corporate headquarters is in the corporate crime-haven of Ireland, where the privacy regulator systematically underenforces the GDPR. We can expect a very long tenure of anti-adblock before we are investigated, and we might win the investigation. Even if we are punished, the expected fine is less than the additional ad-revenue we stand to make."

When Google contemplates stealing performers' wages through opaque reshufflings of its revenue-sharing system, the dissent might say, "Our best performers have options, they can go to Twitch or Tiktok." To which the pro-wage-theft side can counter, "But they have no way of taking their viewers with them. There's no way for them to offer their viewers on Youtube a tool that alerts them whenever they post a new video to a rival platform. Their archives are on Youtube, and if they move them to another platform, there's no way redirect users searching for those videos to their new homes. What's more, any attempt to unilaterally extract their users' contact info, or redirect searchers or create a multiplatform client, violates some mix of our terms of service, our rights under DMCA 1201, etc."

It's not just Google. For every giant platform, the threats of competition, regulation and self-help have been in steady decline for years, as acquisitions, underenforcement of privacy/labor/consumer law, and an increase in IP protection for incumbents have all mounted:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

When internal factions at tech companies argue about whether to make their services worse, there's a heavy weight tilting the scales towards enshittification. The lack of competition, an increase in switching costs for users and business-customers, and broad powers to prevent users from modifying the service for themselves all mean that even when a product gets worse, profits can still go up.

This is the culprit: monopoly, and its handmaiden, regulatory capture. That's why today's antimonopoly movement – and the cases against all the tech giants – are so important. The old, good internet was built by flawed tech companies whose internal ranks included the same amoral enshittifiers who are gobbling up the platforms' seed corn today. The thing that stood in their way before wasn't merely the moral character of colleagues who shrank away from these cynical maneuvers: it was the economic penalties that befell those who enshittified too rashly.

Incentives matter. Money talks and bullshit walks. Enshittification isn't due to the moral failings of individuals in tech companies. It's possible to have a good internet run by flawed people. But to get that new, good internet, we have to support technologists of good will and character by terrorizing their venal and cynical colleagues by hitting them where they live: in their paychecks.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/22/who-wins-the-argument/#corporations-are-people-my-friend

[blackbellybella]

I recently had a rather shitty experience regarding a somewhat predatory website and my only fans.

This site is in some kind of partnership with only fans if not owned by them in some capacity. They do have a paid analytics and seo plug in services that’s supposed to drive more traffic to you page. I personally haven’t seen great reviews for that service and apparently they charge up the ass, but that’s not where I had issues my subscribers mostly come from tumblr and Instagram anyway. HOWEVER On the back side of all that they have basically a directory of everyone on only fans on the side. They make assumption on your personal information based on public information from not just only fans but all linked social media platforms. That’s sketchy but it’s public, BUT they also will even advertise free access to only fans accounts they clearly state so you don’t have to pay to view creators accounts

Past the allowing free access to subscription based content they can have up to your location and what you make from OF just for anyone to see. Granted it’s all based off what they can pull from your account(s). While trying to do research on this company I found one creator claiming they had a wildly exaggerated estimate on her earnings, which in turn lead to a black mailing attempt from one of her followers. Other have had their content leaked or place on other subscriptions based sites thru the free links that this website provides.

Understandably you can see why I don’t want my information on this site. From on what I found regarding this site, getting your shit removed is a pain in the ass because the person in charge of removal is a dick. Based on their privacy policy removing your information from the site should have been as simple as sending an email to a provided email address. I emailed them and was immediately met with a diversion email. They try and convince you to not remove your content from this site saying that it’s “free advertising, giving you more opportunities to connect with potential subscribers”…. While advertising free links to get around subscription. Anyway, they kept trying to convince me to keep my information on the site and once I made it clear that I was not wanting to be on their site I was then directed to contact another email where again they tried to convince me to keep my information on their site. Mind you they’re not even addressing that they’re advertising free access to your account.

They claimed they would look into what they had posted about me and removed my information after proving url to what they had posted about me and my only fans. That sounded like a bs response so after a day or 2 of not hearing back I emailed again asking for a confirmation email once my information had been removed. They emailed my back immediately asking for a formal take down request form as well as a photo of my license…. This random sketchy website wanted a photo of my license. I feel like this was a fail safe to keep people from removing themselves from the site. Because most people on only fans value anonymity also how would they be verify my identity with nothing to compare that identity to. I don’t use my real name or location online and I’m in heavy makeup and cosplay. And my advi is a filter. So how were they going to verify my identity?

I emailed back asking for an alternative means of identifying my self and that I will provide a formal take down request but I’ll be acquiring the form from only fans directly and not clicking on any links they’ve provided me. I also added that their privacy policy seems misleading that one simple email is needed to have your information removed and that is not the case. They came back by saying they can’t just remove information for some random on the internet. Which I completely understand but when I ask for an alternative means of identifying myself they refuses and once I said I’ll just go thru only fans they begin to get a lil bitchy about it.

So I contacted onlyfans they took care of everything. I originally just asked for a form I could send in and they went ahead and did their whole legal action thingy. I reached back out to the website in order to get a confirmation email on the removal of my information I doubt I’ll get a response. But a week long back and forth vs only fan getting my shot taken down in only a day.

So if you encounter this company just go thru only fans support. I did check and my information was removed.

[revvcarrentals]

Want the best car rental company in Delhi ? Look no further than Revv.

Come and discover the national capital in your own way with the best car rental company in Delhi at Revv Car Rentals!

At Revv, you can choose from a diverse range of best car rental options in Delhi, starting from small hatchbacks to high-end sedans and even larger vehicles such as Innova and tempo travellers for group travel. We specialise in luxury and outstation rentals. Our cars are all equipped with air conditioning, maintained regularly, kept clean and sanitised to ensure top-notch service quality.

Revv is India’s fastest growing shared mobility platform, providing both self-drive car rental and subscription services to its customers. Revv currently operates a fleet of 3500+ cars in 22 cities within India since the past 8 years with over 9 fleets running in the Delhi-NCR region.

The booking with us is quick and easy. You can make a booking through our Revv app (android or iOS), website or by giving us a call at +91–9045450000. Just select your city, date and time of your trip, key in your location and choose the type of car you want. Then enter your payment details, confirm payment and you are all set to go!

Now see how easily you can download the app on your phone and even enter the details for car rental services. Go ahead, opt for the great places to be seen and adventures to be taken. Choose Revv- the best car rental service in Delhi today!

[accomparison]

Quicken vs QuickBooks: Which One is Right for Your Business?

Are you struggling to choose the right accounting software for your business? Look no further! In this post, we'll be comparing Quicken vs QuickBooks – two of the most popular accounting software on the market. Both are powerful tools that offer features to manage your finances, but which one is right for you? Join us as we dive into what makes these two options unique and how to make an informed decision based on your business needs. Let's get started!

Comparing Quicken vs QuickBooks

When it comes to managing your business finances, Quicken and QuickBooks are two of the most popular software options available. While Quicken vs QuickBooks both programs offer similar accounting features such as tracking expenses and income, there are some key differences between them.

Quicken is designed primarily for personal finance management. It's a great option if you're self-employed or run a small business with just a few employees. With Quicken, you can track your bank accounts, credit cards, investments and more in one place.

On the other hand, QuickBooks is more ideal for businesses that require robust accounting tools like inventory management and payroll processing. It's also suitable for larger organizations with multiple users who need access to financial data simultaneously.

Another difference between these two platforms is their pricing models. Quicken offers a one-time purchase fee while QuickBooks has monthly subscription plans based on the features required by your business.

Ultimately, choosing between Quicken vs QuickBooks depends on your specific needs as well as the size and complexity of your organization. Consider factors such as budget constraints and which features are necessary for efficient financial management before making a decision.

What is Quicken?

Quicken is a personal finance management software that has been around since 1983. It was originally designed to help individuals manage their finances by tracking income and expenses, creating budgets, and generating reports. Today, Quicken offers various versions of its software that cater to different financial needs.

One version of Quicken is called Quicken Deluxe which allows users to track investments in addition to managing their personal finances. Another version is called Quicken Premier which includes features for managing rental properties as well as investment tracking.

Quicken also offers a mobile app that allows users to access their financial information on the go. Users can sync their data across devices so they always have access to up-to-date information.

Quicken is best suited for individuals or small businesses looking for an easy way to manage their personal finances without needing advanced accounting knowledge.

What is QuickBooks?

QuickBooks is a popular accounting software designed for small businesses to manage their financial transactions, invoices, bills and expenses. It was developed by Intuit and first released in 1983 as a desktop application. Since then, it has expanded its features and services to cater to the growing needs of businesses.

This software allows users to track inventory levels, create sales orders, generate reports and integrate with other applications such as payroll systems. QuickBooks also offers cloud-based versions that enable users to access their data from anywhere at any time.

One of the key benefits of using QuickBooks is its user-friendly interface which makes it easy for beginners to navigate through various financial tasks. The program also provides tutorials and customer support resources for those who need additional assistance.

Another great advantage of this software is that it can be customized according to specific business requirements. Users can choose from different plans based on the size of their business or opt for add-ons like payroll management or payment processing services.

QuickBooks has become a go-to solution for small businesses looking for an efficient way to handle their finances while staying organized and compliant with tax laws.

The Difference between Quicken vs QuickBooks

Quicken and QuickBooks are both financial management software options, but they serve different purposes. Quicken is a personal finance management tool that can help individuals with their budgeting, banking, and investment tracking needs. On the other hand, QuickBooks is an accounting software designed specifically for small businesses.

One of the key differences between Quicken vs QuickBooks is in their functionality. While Quicken focuses on managing personal finances, QuickBooks offers more comprehensive features such as invoicing, payroll processing, inventory management, and accounts payable/receivable. This makes it a better option for small business owners who need to manage multiple aspects of their financial transactions.

Another difference between these two accounting tools is their pricing model. Quicken typically charges a one-time fee for purchasing its software while QuickBooks follows a subscription-based model where users pay monthly or annually depending on the plan they choose.

Deciding whether to use Quicken vs QuickBooks depends largely on your individual needs as well as those of your business if you have one. If you're looking for robust accounting capabilities with features like invoicing or inventory tracking then go for QuickBooks while if you're just looking to manage personal finances then stick with Quicken

Which One is Right for Your Business?

When it comes to deciding which accounting software is right for your business, there are a few factors you should consider. One of the first things you need to determine is what specific features your business needs. For example, if your business requires inventory tracking or payroll management, QuickBooks may be the better option for you.

Another important consideration is the size of your business. Quicken may be more suitable for small businesses or sole proprietors who don't require as many advanced features as larger companies. On the other hand, QuickBooks can handle multiple users and large amounts of data, making it ideal for medium-sized and larger businesses.

The level of technical expertise required to use each software platform is also an important factor to consider. If you have limited experience with accounting software and want something user-friendly and easy-to-learn, Quicken may be a better choice. However, if you're comfortable with technology and want more advanced capabilities like custom reports or integrations with other software tools, QuickBooks might suit your needs better.

Ultimately, choosing between Quicken vs QuickBooks depends on understanding what your business requirements are in terms of functionality, size and technical aptitude. By taking these factors into account when selecting an accounting solution that best meets those criteria will help ensure success over time.

How to Choose the Right Accounting Software for Your Business

Choosing the right accounting software for your business can be overwhelming, especially with so many options available. Here are some important factors to consider when selecting the best fit for your needs:

Business Size: Consider the size of your business and whether you need a basic or advanced accounting system.

Features: Look at the features offered by each platform and determine which ones are essential for managing your finances.

User Interface: Make sure that you choose a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand.

Integration: Check if the software integrates with other tools such as payment processors, CRMs, or inventory management systems.

Support: Choose a platform that offers reliable customer support in case any issues arise.

Security: Ensure that the software has robust security measures in place to safeguard sensitive financial data from potential cyber threats.

Pricing: Determine whether there are any upfront costs, monthly fees or hidden charges associated with using the accounting software before making a final decision.

By considering these factors carefully when choosing an accounting system, you'll have greater confidence in finding one that meets all of your requirements and helps drive success for your business!

Conclusion

After comparing Quicken vs QuickBooks and analyzing the features of both accounting software, it's clear that they have significant differences.

Quicken is best suited for individuals or small business owners who need to manage their personal finances or do basic bookkeeping tasks. On the other hand, QuickBooks provides a more robust platform with advanced tools and features that cater to larger businesses.

Choosing the right accounting software depends on your individual needs and budget. Consider factors such as business size, industry type, level of financial expertise, and future growth plans when making your decision.

Whichever software you choose between Quicken vs QuickBooks will help streamline your financial management processes and improve the accuracy of your accounting records. So take time to evaluate both options carefully before deciding which one is right for your business!

[incarnateirony]

To many these are just seemingly meaningless numbers, but as AEW’s Jim Ross explained on the Grilling JR podcast, these numbers are what attracts significant advertisers:

“That’s why everybody lives and dies on the 18-49 ratings,” Ross said. “A lot of people don’t understand why that number is so important to cultivate and monitor. That’s what the networks sell, their ad sales target 18-49-year-old people. That’s why the 18-49 number is so important for all advertisers.”

It's been like this for 70 years, guys. CW was always the weirdo since the Netflix deal because of the licensing games that are now defunct.

Before we jump into TV ratings, it’s important to know the different ways channels make money. While all these services gain revenue through various means, the main difference is that broadcast networks and cable (TNT, AMC, USA, etc.) profit by selling advertising space during programming while premium cable and streamers rely on subscriptions. All channels use viewer analytics to decide if a TV show is profitable and worth keeping on their schedules, but how the data is gathered and parsed depends on the platform. (...) Adults ages 18-49 are known as the key demographic because advertisers believe they have the most disposable income and least brand loyalty, which may make them more susceptible to advertising.

Even if their top partners and presidents hadn't said 18-49, which they HAVE, anyone that knows anything about the industry AT ALL would goddamn KNOW the second they said they're going to make it a profitable network like its competitors, that they were going to require 18-49. Everything else is bitter fan delusions, self consolation, and pipe dreams. It's rocking back and forth, telling themselves it'll be okay, and that after all their years of untouched privilege protected by Pedowitz's licensing game, that somehow, the world is going to conform to protect them here, too.

And. lmao no. They may COMPROMISE on something like 18-54 to give Walker a renancel but if you think they're gonna fight to keep the audience that literally makes them shit for money, you're nuts. And scaling it 18-54 actually greatly devalues the 18-49 in result, but tries to give a leg up to the past-key-demo viewership and inflate its value in exchange, so it STILL devalues that slot vs an 18-49 performer. People get older, not younger. Those people just get further and further away from demo each year. The idea of stringing Walker out beyond the generosity of a renancel is genuinely funny. They're already stretching to try to include 54. And in 2 years those people will be 56 and the 49 year olds IN demo are gonna be 51. What are they gonna do, keep compromising on their profit to keep Jared Padalecki and his 20 twitter stans happy?