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blackkudos · 6 years ago

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Fantasia

Fantasia Monique Taylor (née Barrino; born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and garnered Taylor three Grammy nominations in 2006.

In 2006, she released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the single "When I See U" which topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for eight weeks. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a 2007 Theatre World Award. Her third studio album, Back to Me, was released worldwide on August 24, 2010 and features the single "Bittersweet," which peaked in the top ten on the R&B chart. The single won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. As of February 2012, Taylor has sold 2,842,000 albums and 1,425,000 tracks in the United States. In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

On April 18, 2013, Taylor returned to American Idol singing "Lose to Win." The performance dubbed "dynamic, passionate and powerful" won her fervent expressions of approval from the show's current judges and a wild ovation from the live audience. Moreover, she has received rave reviews in the media for the performance. In November 2013, Taylor returned to Broadway in the musical After Midnight. On October 16, 2014, she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

Taylor has been nicknamed "Baby Patti LaBelle" by her idol Patti LaBelle.

Early life

Fantasia Taylor was born Fantasia Barrino to Diane and Joseph Barrino and raised in High Point, North Carolina. She began singing at the age of five. Taylor cites Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Tina Turner as her biggest musical influences. Music runs in her family. R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, formerly of Jodeci, are her first cousins. Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers, were a 1970s R&B band.

Despite the travels, she attended Andrews High School in High Point, North Carolina. Feeling embarrassed and harassed after she was raped by a classmate, she dropped out of high school. She became pregnant at 16, and on August 8, 2001, gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari Barrino with her ex-boyfriend, Brandel Shouse.

Career

2004–05: American Idol and Free Yourself

Taylor's show was a heartfelt staging of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges and was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.

For the final performance of the season, Taylor offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew praise from the judges; Simon Cowell remarked that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition, including the more than seventy Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over 65 million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on May 26, 2004, up from 24 million in 2003. Taylor defeated runner-up Diana DeGarmo by 1.3 million votes. At age 19, she was the youngest American Idol winner until May 23, 2007, when then 17-year-old Jordin Sparks won the title.

Taylor participated in the U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists and appeared in the 2004 Christmas special, Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home For the Holidays as well.

Taylor's brother auditioned for the eighth season of American idol but failed to make it to the Hollywood round.

Taylor is one of only four winners, the others being Ruben Studdard, Kris Allen and most recently Candice Glover, to have landed in the bottom three or two, which she did twice.

Performances

^Note 1 : When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in the particular night, Taylor was in the bottom two, but declared safe when LaToya London was eliminated.

After winning American Idol, Fantasia signed to J Records with 19 Entertainment and began work on her debut album. In June 2004, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which later debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This number-one debut made Fantasia the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. On the sales chart, the single spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. The CD single, "I Believe", went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S., and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA. Taylor also won three Billboard Music Awards for the single.

Fantasia released her debut studio album, Free Yourself, in November 2004. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified Platinum in the U.S. The singles "Truth Is" and "Free Yourself" became R&B hits, reaching number two and number three respectively on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while the controversial "Baby Mama"—which critics accused of romanticizing single motherhood—reached the top twenty. Taylor did even better on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay, where she was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously hold the top two spots of the top three, and "Truth Is" spent 14 weeks at the number one position. Taylor was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005 issue of Billboard magazine.

Through the spring and winter of 2005, Fantasia made many television appearances to promote her album. She played Aretha Franklin in an episode of the series American Dreams, singing "Respect", guest voiced on The Simpsons episode "A Star Is Torn", and guest starred as herself in a cameo role on the sitcom All of Us. She appeared three times as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On March 25, 2005, Fantasia performed at the thirty-sixth NAACP Image Awards in honor of Illinois Senator Barack Obama after winning the award for Outstanding Female Artist. In May 2005, Fantasia went on her first tour with her own live band, with soul singers Kem and Rashaan Patterson. She also appeared as a headliner at several music festivals including the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival and the Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica. In October 2005, she received good notices as an opening act for Kanye West's Touch the Sky Tour.

2006–07: Fantasia, acting debut and The Color Purple

In 2006, Taylor was nominated for three Grammy Awards for her debut album. Though she did not win any awards, she performed at the 48th annual telecast with several artists including Aerosmith, Joss Stone, John Legend, Maroon 5, and Ciara in an all-star tribute to Sly and the Family Stone during the Grammy Award show.

In August 2006, Fantasia played herself in a Lifetime Television film based on her autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The film was directed by Debbie Allen and debuted on the women's cable network on August 19, 2006. The movie received nineteen million viewers throughout its debut weekend. The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale has also become Lifetime's second most viewed program of all time.

Fantasia had many musical collaborations during the fall of 2006 including a remake of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which featured Faith Evans, Lil' Mo, and Coko of SWV, a remake of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "I Wish" with Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams for the soundtrack to the 2006 computer-animated film Happy Feet, and most notably her duet with Aretha Franklin which was recorded at that time and later released in 2007.

She released her self-titled second effort, Fantasia, on December 12, 2006. The album involved production by Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, Babyface, Diane Warren, and others, and has since spawned the singles "Hood Boy" produced by Tone Mason, "When I See U", and "Only One U" and went on to be certified gold.

When I See You" became her first single to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, remaining at the number one spot for eight consecutive weeks. The single stayed on the chart for over a year and was named number eight on the Billboard Best of The 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

In February 2007, Fantasia appeared and performed on American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the lead role of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, the hit musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. After appearing on American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show, the musical received a boost of over two million in pre-ticket sales in one week. Leading up to her first performance on April 10, 2007 the play garnered a total of 6.5 million in pre-ticket sales.

While playing the role, Fantasia earned rave reviews for her performance. New York Post critic Clive Barnes said, "... there is some elemental quality to Fantasia that is either greatness or something close to it." Upon her warm welcome to the stage Fantasia was asked to perform at the 2007 Tony Awards in a tribute to Atlanta's Alliance Theater in which The Color Purple got its start. In recognition of an outstanding stage debut performance, Fantasia was given the Theatre World Award and the Best Replacement Star Broadway.com Award. Fantasia was initially scheduled for a limited six-month engagement ending in October 2007 but had her run extended until January 6, 2008. The Color Purple box office saw a thirty-four-million-dollar jump in sales since Taylor started in the show, a third of the play's 100 million dollar earning since its debut in 2005. The New York Post reported that Taylor missed nearly fifty performances in the show, causing the producers to give back tens of thousands of dollars in refunds. In the September 2008 issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine, Taylor revealed that the reason for her absences in The Color Purple was because of the development of a cyst on her vocal cords. She was ordered to immediately undergo surgery which later revealed that she in fact had a tumor on her vocal cords. She now reports that after a successful surgery, the tumor was completely removed and she is now well.

2008–10: Back to Me and Fantasia for Real

Fantasia received two Grammy nominations for her sophomore release, Fantasia and subsequently began work on her third studio album in 2008. She stated on the red carpet of the 2008 Grammy Awards that the style of the new album would be a blending of the avenues she has touched musically, which include American Idol and Broadway. She also revealed that she would be writing some of the album's songs and would collaborate again with Missy Elliott, The Underdogs, and Midi Mafia, who produced one of her biggest hits, "When I See U".

Midi Mafia produced the majority of Fantasia's third studio album. Also, hip hop duo Rock City were confirmed to be writing for the new project. At the time, they had recorded four songs together. She also worked with songwriter-producer Rich King which spawned two songs for her third release. KP, Eric Hudson and Raphael Saadiq are a few people that also became involved on the project. Fantasia confirmed that about 75 percent of the album was complete by mid-2009, and that fans should've expected a new single by the fall of 2009, with the album due to be released in early 2010. This was later delayed, and while recording her new album, Fantasia decided to do a great deal of it the "old fashioned way," inviting a live orchestra to record in the studio with her.

Fantasia was then cast by Oprah Winfrey as Celie in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical, which began production after the release of her third album, as Fantasia confirmed to MTV News on March 5, 2008.

In June 2008, Fantasia parted ways with 19 Entertainment, but remained with 19 Recordings and J Records. She said that after the release of her third album, she plans to release a gospel album. She performed with her mother, Diane Barrino, in a Thanksgiving special on BET's Bobby Jones Gospel. Fantasia also appeared on Jennifer Hudson's self-titled album, on the song "I'm His Only Woman", which was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award, though it did not win.

Fantasia reprised the role of Celie in the national tour of The Color Purple during its Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles stops.

Fantasia also stars in a reality show produced by World of Wonder. Titled Fantasia for Real, it premiered on January 11, 2010, on VH1 to rave reviews and ratings. The show's first season ended in July 2010 with its second began on September 19, 2010.

"Even Angels", a song from Fantasia's third studio album, produced by The Stereotypes and written by Heather Bright, was never released to radio . She performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show on February 3, 2010. The album's first official single, "Bittersweet", was released on May 11, 2010 and has gone on to reach number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as well as number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fantasia's third studio album, Back to Me, was released on August 24, 2010. Fantasia cited Tina Turner, Queen and Aretha Franklin as influences, and like musicians she admired from their era, she recorded with a live band. The album has been promoted by appearances on Good Morning America and The Wendy Williams Show among others. On March 28, 2010, Taylor also performed "America the Beautiful" at WWE WrestleMania XXVI. To promote the album, Taylor embarked on her first solo concert tour, Back to Me Tour in the fall of 2010.

Taylor appeared on Charlie Wilson's album Just Charlie, on "I Want to Be Your Man."

In the summer of 2010, she appeared as a guest judge alongside Wayne Brady, on episode 11, of RuPaul's Drag Race.

2011–13: Grammy Award, return to acting and Side Effects of You

On February 13, 2011, Fantasia won her first Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Bittersweet".

In 2011, Taylor was cast in her first film role, playing gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in a biopic based on the 1993 book Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel. It was later reported that the film was fully endorsed by the Mahalia Jackson estate. Fantasia also would receive not only the top salary in the project but a percentage of the box office revenue the film creates. Production was originally planned to begin in October 2011 in New Orleans and Chicago with a release date of late 2012 and a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. In August 2011, organizers of the International Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia, said medical conditions requiring bed rest had forced Fantasia to cancel her scheduled performance there. Double Dutch Productions LLC, the production company behind Mahalia!, released a statement saying it "extends apologies to Fantasia Barrino for the inaccurate, non-factual and disparaging statements of Ms. Barrino's reputation, character and image."

In 2011, Aretha Franklin expressed interest in having Taylor play her in a planned biographical movie.

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Taylor (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records brand.

On February 13, 2012, VH1 named Taylor 32nd out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

Taylor was featured on a cover version of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" with Kelly Price and Faith Evans from Evans' compilation album R&B Divas, which was released on October 2, 2012.

On December 19, 2012, Fantasia premiered her new single, "Lose to Win". During an interview on Steve Harvey's morning radio show, Taylor revealed that the album's release date would be March 13, 2013. However, on February 28, 2013, via her Facebook page, Fantasia announced that her album would be released on April 23, 2013. The album was available for pre-order on March 19, 2013.

On April 19, 2013, Fantasia revealed that her next single would be "Without Me," featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott.

In June 2013, Fantasia embarked on a five-date tour with Andrea Bocelli. In an interview on Today in that same month, she revealed that she will return to Broadway in October 2013.

Taylor starred in the musical revue After Midnight which opened on Broadway on November 3, 2013, with previews beginning on October 18 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Her role ended on February 9, 2014. She had received rave reviews from critics for her performance. New York Post wrote "... although I admired Ms. Barrino's heartfelt performance in "The Color Purple," I was surprised at how smoothly and intuitively she slid into the vocal persona of a jazz singer." Taylor was the first of a rotating roster of special guest stars that also included k.d. lang, Toni Braxton and Babyface. On March 20, 2014, it was announced that Taylor will return to the production for a second stint for four weeks, beginning on May 13 through June 8. Taylor performed alongside the cast and Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight at the 68th Tony Awards.

In August 2013, Taylor co-wrote and recorded the theme song "In the Middle of the Night" for The Butler.

2014–present: The Definition Of...

On October 16, 2014, Taylor was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Taylor appeared on Dave Koz's new Christmas album, The 25th of December, which consisted of a collection of Christmas-themed duets. The album was released on September 30, 2014. In November 2014, Taylor teamed up with former Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams on the remix of Williams' "If We Had Your Eyes". In November, Taylor announced that she had started work on her next album. She posted a short clip of her and R. Kelly in the studio on her official Instagram account. "No Time for It," the first single from the album, was released on January 7, 2016. Taylor is working with music executive and producer Ron Fair.

Taylor toured with Anthony Hamilton beginning on April 21, 2016, in Buffalo, New York. The Definition Of... was released in the United States on July 29, 2016 and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 Chart, selling 32,000 units The album also topped that week's Billboard R&B Albums Chart and was No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album's chart making it Taylor's fourth top ten album. The new album featured two top 10 singles on the Adult R&B Songs airplay chart: "No Time For It," which peaked at number six, and "Sleeping with the One I Love," which peaked at number 9.

Personal life

In September 2005, Taylor published a memoir, dictated to a freelance writer, titled Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. In it, she revealed she is functionally illiterate and was unable to read the text of contracts she signed or to read to her then four-year-old daughter. In 2006, following the release of her autobiography, Taylor's father sued her for $10 million after she said unflattering things about him in the book that he claimed were false.

On December 9, 2008, Taylor's 6,600-square-foot (610 m2), lakefront home in Charlotte's Glynmoor Lakes at Piper Glen community was in foreclosure and would be up for auction. Her 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) home, also in Piper Glen, is unaffected. The home was due to be auctioned in January 2009 by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office after the company Broward Energy Partners, which had paid over $68,000 of her taxes in 2006, said it had not been fully repaid. The auction earnings were to be used to finish reimbursing the company for the loan, on which Taylor had paid back $10,000. The auction was canceled after Taylor's attorneys and the lender reached an "eleventh-hour deal", the details of which were not disclosed.

Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers, were a 1970s R&B band and her brother is Grand Hustle recording artist Ricco Barrino.

An August 2010 divorce filing in Mecklenburg County District Court alleges that Taylor had a year-long relationship with Antwaun Cook, who was married, bringing up the subject of alienation of affection laws in North Carolina. Taylor claimed the two began dating after Cook and his wife separated.

On August 9, 2010, Taylor was hospitalized in Pineville, North Carolina, due to overdosing on aspirin and an unknown sleep aid. Dickens said, "'Her injuries are not life threatening ... she was dehydrated and exhausted at the time." The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department classified the incident as a suicide attempt. In transcript segments released the day before an August 24, 2010, interview on the VH1 series Behind the Music, Taylor confirmed the incident was a suicide attempt, saying, "I didn't care about anything. I just wanted out. At that moment I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with...." Taylor denied rumors that the incident was a publicity stunt.

Afterward, Taylor said, "Music saved me. When I went in the hospital, I went into the computer room, and I looked up artists who've been through things, artists who sing from their soul. I took my cues from them, and I just put my mind and everything into music." She also relied on her family, something she had not done earlier in her career. Taylor testified in court that she aborted her and Cook's fetus around the time of her failed suicide attempt.

In late August 2010, the ex-wife of Antwuan Cook, Paula Cook, accused Taylor of knowingly pursuing a relationship with her husband despite knowledge of their existing marriage. In December 2010, a North Carolina judge ruled in Taylor's favor, stating the Cooks' separation date was September 14, 2009, and not June 2010 as Paula previously claimed.

On August 1, 2011, Taylor announced a second pregnancy during a charity concert event in Jacksonville, Florida. She did not reveal the name of the father. On September 13, 2011 it was confirmed that the singer would be having a boy. On December 13, 2011, she gave birth to a son, Dallas Xavier Barrino. On July 18, 2015, she married Kendall Taylor, a businessman.

She dated former NFL player Michael Clayton, who was at the time playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 2008 to 2009, Taylor dated rapper Young Dro.

Artistry

Voice

Taylor's voice has been described as raspy, gritty and soulful.

Influences

Taylor has said from childhood she has been influenced by soul singers Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan and Tina Turner, as well as jazz singers Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway and Nina Simone. Taylor has drawn many comparisons to her idols. LaBelle affectionately calls Taylor "baby Patti." "[Fantasia's] just a baby me...when you see yourself in someone else, you say, 'God I'm 70, she's 30,' so she's like the Patti Labelle from back in the day and everything and she's so raw," LaBelle stated in an interview. She always credit her church upbringing and cites The Clark Sisters as one of her influences. Taylor is also an admirer of rock music and was influenced by Queen and Elton John. Her fourth album, Side Effects of You introduced a new and much edgier rock-inspired sound which she coined as 'rock soul'. During an interview with Billboard.com, Taylor has stated that she would like to go in more of a rock direction for her fifth studio album. "This whole rock soul direction has been on my heart. I'll always be soulful: I started singing in the church at the age of five. So that will never go anywhere. But there's a certain side of me that wants to tap into that whole rock world. It's hard to come from R&B to that. But it's something I believe in and will fight for," Taylor said in the interview.

Genres and songwriting

Taylor's music is mostly contemporary R&B, heavily rooted in soul music and gospel music. Her lyrics speak of love, pain and resilience. She also incorporates pop, funk, reggae and hip hop into her music. Side Effects of You demonstrated the versatility of Taylor's voice. Taylor introduced a new and much edgier rock-inspired sound which she coined as 'rock soul'. Gerrick D. Kennedy from the Los Angeles Times praised the album as "sumptuous contemporary R&B dipped in vintage rock and soul". Andy Kellman from Allmusic called it "her finest album yet". Taylor further showcased her versatility and expanded her range while starring in Broadway musicals The Color Purple and After Midnight, as well as her mini-tour with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Taylor has received songwriting credits on Side Effects of You. She wrote majority of the tracks along with Sevyn Streeter, Emeli Sandé, Andrea Martin, Al Sherrod Lambert and many others. Aside from her own project, Taylor co-wrote the theme song to the movie The Butler entitled "In the Middle of the Night", which she also performed, as well as a song called "In the Middle" for American Idol twelfth season winner Candice Glover's debut album, Music Speaks.

Legacy

Since winning American Idol in 2004, Taylor has sold over three million records and won numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, three Billboard Awards, three NAACP Image Awards and two ASCAP Awards. Her first single, "I Believe" topped the Billboard Hot 100 at number-one, making Taylor the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. I Believe remained at number-one for eleven consecutive weeks, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. In 2005, Taylor was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format, according to the December 13, 2005 issue of Billboard magazine. In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. Taylor was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously hold the top two spots of the top three on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay. Her song, "Truth Is" spent fourteen weeks at the number-one position. Taylor's American Idol performance of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.

Over the course of her career, Taylor has inspired other artists, including American Idol season eleven contestant Joshua Ledet who was dubbed "Mantasia" by fans, the media and even Taylor herself. Actress Amber Riley revealed her admiration for Taylor in an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show and cited her as an "inspiration."

Discography

Free Yourself (2004)

Fantasia (2006)

Back to Me (2010)

Side Effects of You (2013)

The Definition of... (2016)

Filmography

FilmsBroadwayTelevision

Bibliography

Life Is Not a Fairy Tale (2005)

Tours

Headlining

2010–11: Back to Me Tour

2013: Side Effects of You Tour

2016: The Definition Of... Tour

Co-headlining

2004: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2004 (with the Top 10 finalist of American Idol 2004)

2016: Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton: Live in Concert (with Anthony Hamilton)

2016: Annual Summer Jam (with Maxwell and Ro James)

Opening act

2005: Touch the Sky (for Kanye West)

2006: Unpredictable Tour (for Jamie Foxx)

2011: Intimacy Tour (for Kem)

2013: 2013 World Tour (for Andrea Bocelli)

Wikipedia

#fantasia #06-30

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recentanimenews · 8 years ago

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Monthly Manga Review Index: April 2017

In my small and unscientific sampling of April manga reviews, it seemed as if the entire blogosphere was buzzing about Canno’s Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, a yuri title that garnered praise for its sympathetic characters and crisp translation. (Jocelyne Allen did the adaptation, natch.) Other popular review subjects included the first volumes of Anonymous Noise, The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Flying Witch, and The Water Dragon’s Bride, as well as Eiichiro Oda’s long-running pirate saga One Piece. Here at The Manga Critic, I found time to review Altair: A Record of Battles, a digital-only release from Kodansha with an abundance of characters and plot; Flying Witch, a so-so comedy about a teen witch living in the sticks; Toppu GP, an entertaining new sports manga from the creator of Oh! My Goddess; and My Brother’s Husband, a touching story about a man coming to terms with his late brother’s homosexuality.

I also added four new sites to the index: Adventures in Poor Taste (abbreviated as AiPT!, as per the site banner), BentoByte, Comic Spectrum, and Three If By Space. Is there a reviewer or a manga-related site that you think should be included in my monthly round-up? Leave a comment — and a link! — below.

REVIEW OF THE MONTH: HARLEQUIN PINK AND HARELQUIN VIOLET

Remember Harlequin Pink and Harlequin Violet? In 2005, Dark Horse rolled out a series of one-volume manga based on popular Harlequin romance novels. To distinguish the PG titles from the R-rated ones, Dark Horse used two different ink colors: pink for the chaste books, and purple for the dirty ones. I had a dim memory of reviewing one or two for Pop Culture Shock, but Claire Napier’s savagely funny essay reminded me just how awful these manga really were:

Response is an appalling story about a maniac who rapes a woman, taunts her about it, gets her hit by a car and kidnaps and marries her while she has amnesia or possibly, while she is actually unconscious. Obviously by the end they are happily in love. There are arguments to be made about what is therapeutic or cathartic in fiction, but this is proper Fifty Shades Worse stuff that’s given no contextual “this is kink, okay” marker and sold to those sixteen-and-up as sexy and sophisticated romance, not psychological horror with a romantic aesthetic. “Sophisticated romance” shouldn’t mean “giving in and deciding your abuser is too hot to escape.”

The morbidly curious can find cheap copies at Books-a-Million and church rummage sales, as well as the darker corners of eBay.

FROM THE TOP

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (Gabe Peralta, The Fandom Post)

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (J. Caleb Mozzocco, Good Comics for Kids)

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (L.B. Bryant, ICv2)

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (Helen, The OASG)

Big Order, Vol. 1 (Justin Stroman, The OASG)

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 1 (Todd Young, AiPT!)

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 1 (Amy McNulty, Anime News Network)

Clockwork Planet, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 1 (Jason Thompson)

Devil’s Line, Vol. 1 (Jason Thompson, Otaku USA)

Disney Beauty and the Beast: The Beast’s Tale and Disney Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Tale (J. Caleb Mozzocco, Good Comics for Kids)

Don’t Be Cruel: Akira Takanashi’s Story (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)

Flying Witch, Vol. 1 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Flying Witch, Vol. 1 (Al Sparrow, Comic Spectrum)

Flying Witch, Vol. 1 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)

Flying Witch, Vol. 1 (Helen, The OASG)

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 1 (Ash Brown, Experiments in Manga)

The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil, A Run, Vol. 1 (J. Caleb Mozzocco, Good Comics for Kids)

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 1 (Anna N., The Manga Report)

Ghost Diary, Vol. 1 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

The Ghost in the Shell: Deluxe Edition (Austin Price, Otaku USA)

The Ghost in the Shell: Deluxe Edition (Shea Hennum, Paste Magazine)

Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Theron Martin, Anime News Network)

Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Amelia Cook, Otaku USA)

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 1 (David Kelly, AiPT!)

Kasae-san and Morning Glories (Erica Friedman, Okazu)

Kiniro Mosaic, Vol. 1 (Jason Thompson, Otaku USA)

Kiniro Mosaic, Vols. 1-2 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 1 (Jocilyn Wagner, Experiments in Manga)

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 1 (Megan R., The Manga Test Drive)

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 1 (Helen, The OASG)

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 1 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)

Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World, Vol. 1 (Matt Morrison, No Flying No Tights)

Murcielago, Vol. 1 (Allen Kesinger, No Flying No Tights)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Legend of the Piko Piko Middle School Students, Vol. 1 (Eric Kline, AiPT!)

New Testament: Puella Magi Oriko Magica: Sadness Prayer, Vol. 1 (Nic Willcox, No Flying No Tights)

Pokémon Advetures: Black 2 & White 2, Vol. 1 (Nic Willcox, No Flying No Tights)

Rin Chan Now!, Vol. 1 (Alyssa Vaughan, NerdSpan)

Secret of the Princess (Erica Friedman, Okazu)

Species Domain, Vol. 1 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Spirits & Cat Ears, Vol. 1 (Helen, The OASG)

There’s a Demon Lord on the Floor, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)

Toppu GP, Vol. 1 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 1 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)

DIGITAL DEBUTS

Ace of the Diamond, Vols. 1-2 (Michelle Smith, Soliloquy in Blue)

Giant Killing, Vol. 1 (Michelle Smith, Soliloquy in Blue)

Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 2 (Gabe Peralta, The Fandom Post)

Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 3 (Gabe Peralta, The Fandom Post)

Space Brothers, Vol. 3 (Gregory Smith, The Fandom Post)

Wave, Listen to Me!, Vol. 1 (David Brooke, AiPT!)

ONGOING SERIES

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 6 (Nick Creamer, Anime News Network)

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 15 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Barakamon, Vols. 1-8, Thomas Maluck (No Flying No Tights)

Blood Lad, Vol. 8 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Cells at Work!, Vol. 1 (Al Sparrow, Comic Spectrum)

Complex Age, Vol. 4 (Demelza, Anime UK News)

Complex Age, Vol. 4 (Helen, The OASG)

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 8 (Anna N., The Manga Report)

Finder, Vol. 8 (Ian Wolf, Anime UK News)

Fire Force, Vol. 3 (Jordan Richards, AiPT!)

Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition, Vol. 12 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Vol. 1 (Anna N., The Manga Report)

Goodnight Pun-Pun, Vol. 4 (Keith Hendricks, NerdSpan)

Goodnight Pun-Pun, Vol. 5 (Gabe Peralta, The Fandom Post)

Happiness, Vol. 3 (Jordan Richards, AiPT!)

High School DxD, Vols. 6-8 (Allen Kesinger, No Flying No Tights)

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 6 (Richard Gutierrez, The Fandom Post)

How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Vol. 5 (Keith Hendricks, NerdSpan)

I Am a Hero, Vol. 3 (Gabe Peralta, The Fandom Post)

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear, Vol. 1 (Megan Rupe, No Flying No Tights)

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Vol. 2 (Gabe Peralta, The Fandom Post)

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun, Vol. 6 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun, Vol. 6 (Helen, The OASG)

My Love Story!!, Vol. 12 (Keith Hendricks, NerdSpan)

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 19 (Keith Hendricks, NerdSpan)

Of the Red, The Light, and The Ayakashi, Vol. 6 (Kate O’Neil, The Fandom Post)

One Piece, Vols. 16-18 (Renay Williams, B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog)

One Piece, Vols. 19-21 (Joel Cunningham, B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog)

One Piece, Vols. 22-24 (Renay Williams, B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog)

One Piece, Vols. 25-27 (Renay Williams, B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog)

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 4 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Prison School, Vol. 6 (Keith Hendricks, NerdSpan)

Rose Guns Days Season Two, Vol. 2 (Kate O’Neil, The Fandom Post)

Say I Love You!!, Vols. 10-15 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)

School-Live!, Vols. 4-6 (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)

School-Live!, Vol. 6 (Keith Hendricks, NerdSpan)

Skip Beat!, Vol. 38 (Anna N., The Manga Report)

That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!, Vol. 4 (Rebecca Silverman, Anime News Network)

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts, Vol. 3 (Matthew Boss, BentoByte)

Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 12 (Robert Prentice, Three if By Space)

Twinkle Stars, Vol. 2 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

UQ Holder, Vol. 8 (Nick Creamer, Anime News Network)

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 1 (Jordan Richards, AiPT!)

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 2 (Jordan Richards, AiPT!)

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 11 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Wirth Reading)

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 5 (Sean Gaffney, A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 5 (Anna N., The Manga Report)

FROM THE VAULT

Maria Holic (Megan R., The Manga Test Drive)

Space Dandy, Vols. 1-2 (Allen Kesinger, No Flying No Tights)

Strawberry Panic, Vols. 1-2 (Megan R., The Manga Test Drive)

By: Katherine Dacey

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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marcos008-blog · 5 years ago

Text

ELECTRIC MARIJUANA

(Color pencils on paper, enhanced with ArcSoft PhotoImpressions software)

(During the course of my career in non-profit quality control, I smoked marijuana every day for 29 of the past 42 years. Marijuana can be a good medicine, and I found that it often inspired me.

My favorite imported kinds of marijuana were Punta Roja Colombian, "Thai sticks", and Mexican from Oaxaca.

I also enjoyed some of the hashish that came from Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Nepal. The hashoil I smoked that came from Morocco greatly lifted my spirits and provided unique insight. "Bubble Hash" made in Berkeley gave me colorful visions.

I even quaffed Hi-Brew Beer [early 1980s marijuana/alcohol beverage].

[In the 1970s I trimmed MANY pounds of marijuana. One of my associates, a taxi driver who claimed that he had “rolled so many joints I don’t have any fingerprints left” was so impressed that he borrowed my scissors and had them plated with gold.]

Surfing on a toke–and when the bowl of the pipe looks like the Grand Canyon, I know I’ve almost had enough…

[Willie Nelson won 10 Grammy awards, and has appeared in 37 movies and TV shows. More than 40 million copies of his more than 100 albums have been sold. He has smoked marijuana for MANY years. Nelson is an outspoken advocate for the drug and has been arrested several times for possession of marijuana. He was arrested in 2006 for possessing marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. His latest song is titled "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die".

—from an Associated Press news report, 4.21. 2012.]

["I smoke two joints in the morning I smoke two joints at night I smoke two joints in the afternoon It makes me feel all right"

"I smoke two joints in time of peace And two in time of war I smoke two joints before I smoke two joints And then I smoke two more"

—Chris Kay and Michael Kay, in their 1983 song "Smoke Two Joints", which was recorded by The Toyes.]

["One toke over the line sweet Jesus One toke over the line"

"Waitin’ for the train that goes home sweet Mary Hopin’ that the train is on time Sittin’ downtown in a railway station One toke over the line"

—Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley, in their 1970 song "One Toke Over The Line". Vice President Spiro Agnew did not like the song and called it "subversive". After being investigated on suspicion of conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud, Agnew was convicted of felony tax evasion and forced to resign.]

["He said ‘drugs make you too pleased with everything.’"

—Sarah Seiter, associate curator of Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California, quoting David Hockney on the connection between drugs and creativity. Seiter was quoted by Paul Kilduff in an interview about a current show, "Altered State: Marijuana in California". The East Bay Monthly, July 2016 issue.

I think I somewhat understand what Hockney said, and I think there is truth in his statement. I also think that I often find great value and much joy in seeing beauty in both the wheat AND the chaff!]

Here is a list of some of the kinds of cannabis I have smoked that were obtained from "medical marijuana" stores in the San Francisco bay area. [From labels I saved.]

Blueberry Tsunami Outdoor Rom Trainwreck Orange Hill Special Red Widow Smoothelove Dutch Passionkush Northern Green Spice Nor Kali Black Spice Sensi Star Organic Main Wreck Sour Diesel Ice Ice Fruity Bliss Organic Remedy NYC Diesel S1-5 Organic Super Silver Haze Morning Star Snow Cap Sun Grown Purple OG Jedi Sweet Nightmare Kosher Strawberries Dirty Little Pig Durbin Poison Oracle Space Cowboy Bubble Haze White Widow Mountain Kick Snow White Sun Grown Diesel Yumbolt Co-op Organic Flo Candyland Silvercratic Sun Grown Chocolope Pineapple Kush Organic Purple Haze Goo-5 Nor Kali Kaui Kola Dynomite Nor Kali Buddha’s Haze Old Grand Huck Grape Ape Sour Diesel Lemon Buddha’s Sister Super Jack Organic Rom Thai Third Eye Pink Champagne World Wide Widow Afgootiva Greased Lightning Outdoor Organic Humboldt Balance Cherry Pie Herijuana Peak 19 Organic Mazar Outdoor Train Crossing Organic Shaman Super Star Rhino Burmese Double Dream Jelly Caramel Kahuna Shiva’s Tears Organic A-10 Purple Burmese Lemon Skunk x Royal Orange Mendo Blendo The Sativa Organic Hawaiian Snow Purple Kush Domina Organic Ultra Skunk Sage ‘n’ Sour Outdoor Organic Kam Tree-W Da Kind Jack Frost Pot O’ Gold Shiva Afghani Gorilla’s Mist Strawberry Cough Sativa 2 Organic Jane Organic Purple Way Outdoor Organic Bonkers Organic Purps Outdoor Organic Goo Juicy Fruit Blue Dream Mind Eraser Pearly Baker Animal Cookies Lavender Goo Titan OG White Russian Sonoma Coma Organic Sticky Nurple MK Ultra Outdoor Organic Trainwreck x White Widow Organic Sweetleaf Organic Purple Ice Jack Herer God’s Gift Outdoor Organic Purple Mendo Organic Ogre Organic Trance William’s Wonder x Northern Lights Blue Ogre Organic Lamb’s Bread Champagne Black Bunanna Super Chunk Organic Rom Cross Sun Grown Goji Jack Rom Hottie Organic Slider Sunshine Grown Green Dragon El Bueno Jakki Organic Time Warp Durban Dream Organic Mist Cookie Pie Mantanuska TF Pineapple Trainwreck Organic Mantanuska Mist Organic Mothership Traincrash Swazi Haze Golden Goo Organic Trance Jack’l Berry Outdoor Mysty Purple Peak 19 AK-47 Sage Motor City Purple Erkel Crazy Hazy Bright Star Green Crack Power Plant Organic Cindy 99 Skunk #2 Organic Bonana Outdoor Organic Hash Plant Baby Blues Cat Piss Mr. Nice (G 13 x Hash Plant) Girl Scout Cookies African Sativa Romadelic Outdoor Organic Madness Outdoor Organic Blue Dot Sour Daze Thin Mint Grand Daddy Purple Spicy Jack Outdoor Organic Pure Rezin Old Mother Sativa Master Yoda Kush Mountain Girl Green Ribbon Super Wreck Sapphire Star Bombshell Also Known As Pea Soup Pirate’s Kush Leda Una Northern Lights x Big Bud All Star Organic Oaktown Wreck Raspberry Diesel ["18.2% THC", grown by "Fleur d’elite"] San Fernando Valley OG ["The Weed Brand Preroll. 1 gram"] Key Lime Pie ["Humboldt Farms" "Premium Flower-Hybrid" "15.2% THC, 0.00% CBD" "Harvested on July 2018, Packaged on July 2018" "One-Eighth Ounce" in a clear glass jar with a stopper made of wood. The label has a 1" x 2" colorful detailed image of tall trees and small flowers and a small white Volkswagen van. Printed with metallic ink. After smoking some Key Lime Pie I decided that, in my opinion, this extremely appealing image is the best illustration I have seen on a cannabis label.] Taffie (This medical cannabis strain is sold in cork-lined light-proof well-labeled tins, each containing 5 joints. The tins come sealed in a bag that contains a Boveda 2-way humidity control packet. This product is distributed by Humboldt Legends, and is labeled Steelhead Sativa. Organically grown in sunlight and harvested by hand. The label has the name [and a copy of the handwritten signature] of the person who grew the marijuana [Scott Davies]. Also the batch number and the percentages of THC [19.5%] and CBD [0.0%]. The label on the back of the tin states that the group of cultivators who call themselves "Humboldt Legends" have been growing marijuana for "forty years". A warning note states that marijuana is a “Schedule 1 controlled substance”. And that “Smoking this product will expose you and those in your immediate vicinity to marijuana smoke…known to the State of California to cause cancer.” “Keep out of reach of children and animals.” "This product may impair the ability to drive or operate machinery." Obtained in the San Francisco bay area, 2017. [After I smoked some of this marijuana in a dark room, I closed my eyes and saw beautiful hallucinations that were extremely complex, with uniquely vivid colors. When I opened my eyes I had a VERY strong urge to write poetry.]) "Top Shelf Rainbow Diesel Minis [Sativa]" [small joints] "Top Shelf Hell OG Minis [Indica]" [small joints] "Mericanna" hybrid [small joint] "16.79% THC" [2018] "Pacific Remedy Shatter joint, hand rolled in California" "Blue Russian flower, Kosher Kush, BHO Snake" "Indica-dominant" [2017] "Sublime King Fuzzies", pre-rolled joint, terpene-enhanced "top shelf bud, CO2 wax/kief", "Indica OG Kush" "THC 253 mg". [2017] Trix Bubble [concentrate] "Shiva Crystals" [hashish] "Select" brand "Mimosa" "cannabis oil vape cartridge" [125 doses per cartridge] 3.5 mg THC per dose. [from the "Select" brand label: "Curating the Science of Feeling" [2018] Cali Gold H20 [extracted cannabis resin] "Emerald Dream" ["Single Origin"] [Trinity County, CA] [58% THC] cannabis oil extracted with CO2 [cartridge for use with "Highlighter" vapor pen]

[A few times I have gone for months without smoking marijuana, and then smoked a potent joint. On more than one such occasion I have experienced intense fearful disorientation, acute paranoia, and horrible physical distress including nausea and a sudden loss of consciousness. CAUTION IS ESSENTIAL!]

I have eaten a variety of cannabis preparations sold at "medical marijuana" stores in Berkeley, including:

"Butter Brothers" brand Brownies, Phat Mints, Blackberry Streusel, Ginger Snaps, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Cookies. "Pura Vida" brand Ocean Spray, Happy Trails, Chocolate Jubilee, and Chocolate Chip Protein Bar. "Ganja Candy" brand Caramel, Blackberry, and Dr. Pepper. "Tainted" brand Thin Mints "Dank" candy "420 Grand" candy HealTHCare "Private Reserve OG" [cannabis tincture in vegetable glycerin base] "Double-Strength Medi Pills" [cannabis oil capsules] "Shiva Candy" [hashish candy] "Auntie Dolore’s Medical Cannabis Glazed Pecans" "Hashey’s 200mg Indica Bar" [made with dark chocolate In Santa Cruz] "Rhino Pellet" [tiny cookie] "Potlava" [vegan cannabis baklava] "Orange Zest Awakening Mints" [sublingual 10 milligram THC tablets] "Breez" brand mints [sublingual 5 milligram THC tablets] "Kiva" brand Blackberry Dark Chocolate [cannabis oil candy] "Black Cherry Gummi" [cannabis oil candy] "Original PLUS Super Potent Hybrid Cannabis-Infused Gummies" ["20 milligrams THC"] "PureCure Sativa Strips" [preparation for oral use] [from the label: "EXTREMELY STRONG!"] "Dr. Norm’s Extra Strength medical cannabis cookie" "Chocolate Chip Therapy" 25 milligrams THC, "hybrid". "Full Extract Cannabis Oil" [Indica-dominant strain, for oral use. Full-plant extracted with ethyl alcohol. Dated 12.1. 2015 and provided in a 3 milliliter oral syringe marked for 0.1 milliliter doses. "THC 37.05%"] Stokes brand "Mint Micros" [Sativa-strain] [small tablets, each containing 5mg of cannabis extract] [I have used 2 different flavors: Mint and Watermelon] OMedibles brand "Tree Hugger Medical Cannabis Cinnamon Maple" [high CBD extract mixed with nuts and spices] Utopia Farms brand "Medical Cannabis Raspberry Macaroons" "Cafe Attitude THCoffee" 40 mg THC per 8 oz. bottle ["70% Sativa, 30% Indica"] "Evil Aunt Emily’s Seriously Psychotic Suckers" [cannabis oil candy]) "Sprig" brand citrus soda containing 45 milligrams THC per can. Made in California. [2017] "Petra" brand "Moroccan mint"-flavored medical cannabis tablets, each containing 2.5 milligrams THC plus matcha tea. Produced in 2017 by Kiva, a not-for-profit collective. Lab tested by CW Analytical. "A micro-dosed blend." Packaged in tins containing 42 tablets.

[It is not uncommon for people to have EXTREMELY negative experiences after they have eaten too much of a product containing cannabis. CAUTION IS ESSENTIAL!]

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SALES OF SO-CALLED "MEDICAL MARIJUANA" AT STORES IN BERKELEY:

I have seen marijuana contaminated by toxic insecticides that was purchased from (city-approved) so-called "medical marijuana" stores in Berkeley. I have seen marijuana contaminated with other toxic chemicals that was purchased from so-called "medical marijuana" stores in Berkeley. I have seen marijuana contaminated with toxic mold that was purchased at so-called "medical marijuana" stores in Berkeley. As of this writing, there are no enforced standards that designate who may or may not be so-called "medical marijuana" grower-sellers in the city of Berkeley. These for-profit privately-owned stores charge an obscenely high price for their questionable products. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT MARIJUANA CAN BE ONE OF THE VERY BEST MEDICINES IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!! (Depending upon the type and dose of marijuana, the route of administration, and the set and setting in which it is used.) BUT BEWARE: Greedy and/or stupid capitalists selling untested products grown by greedy and/or stupid amateurs ARE NOT BEHAVING IN A RESPONSIBLE MANNER!

("…marijuana is not legal."

—Ed Rosenthal, interviewed by Paul Kilduff, The Monthly, December 2014.)

("Indeed, positive hits for pathogenic mold are already changing grower operations. ‘You smoke ten random samples of cannabis and you’ve most likely smoked aspergillus [mold],’ said Dave, one of the lab’s two founders. ‘It’s in there, often at unacceptable levels. Now it’s up to the industry to respond. We also are not in a position where we want to make enemies and piss people off. We want to see it happen in the best way for the movement and the industry to kind of just naturally evolve.’ While the distributed nature of California’s cannabis supply network obviously benefits mom-and-pop growers, it doesn’t encourage quality assurance. Consequently, Dave and his peers believe that some pot consumers are in danger. ‘It’s expensive to test every single thing that comes through the door — that’s the price you pay with a decentralized supply system,’ Dave said. ‘But that’s what you’ve got. You’ve got five pounds coming from here and two from there and one individual. I mean, a dog walks in the grow room, and wags its tail — anything can be coming off that dog’s tail. It’s gross. Fertilizers with E. coli. Compost teas that they don’t make right, anaerobic tea that has elevated levels of E. coli and salmonella…There’s no way that this is sustainable. All it takes is one story of immune-compromised people dying from aspergillus infection. The myth that cannabis hasn’t killed a single person in 3,000 years is allowed to go on. Well, it’s not cannabis that kills people, it’s all the shit that’s in it.’

[From "The Manhattan Project of Marijuana", David Downs, the East Bay Express, 3.4. 2009.])

(Steep Hill Lab says eighty-five percent of the medical marijuana samples it tests "show traces of mold".

—Peter Hecht, "Pot Lab Fills Need for Oversight", the Sacramento Bee, 4.6. 2010. The owners of Steep Hill Lab in Oakland California [which is NOT a federally-certified laboratory] are extremely in favor of medical marijuana…)

("We find e.coli in hash. We’re seeing pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that’s found in filth."

—Robert Martin, of the Association of California Cannabis Labs. Martin was quoted by David Downs in the East Bay Express, 4.11. 2012.)

("It’s a nasty little secret in the medical marijuana world that many growers spray their plants liberally with pesticides…"

—Robert Gammon, the East Bay Express, 7.28. 2010.)

(In places like Berkeley in 2018, where cannabis production is encouraged, much cannabis waste is generated. Some of the waste is toxic if consumed. Moldy marijuana, marijuana contaminated with chemicals, contaminated hashish, and contaminated cannabis concentrates do not seem to be rare. Some homeless people, alcohol addicts, and methamphetamine addicts find these sometimes poisonous contaminated cannabis products in garbage containers and sell them on the streets…)

("A 2015 study published in The Journal of Toxicological Sciences found that more than 80 percent of the concentrate samples were contaminated by residual solvents."

"In the same 2015 study, pesticides were detected in one-third of the concentrate samples."

—Kathleen Richards, The East Bay Express, 3.21. 2018, in an article about vaping cannabis.)

("…the true danger in untested cannabis comes from the potential pathogens–pseudomonas, aspergillis, and E. coli are routinely found by our laboratory [CW Analytical]."

—David Egerton, in a letter to the editor of the East Bay Express, 7.18. 2012.)

("…Anresco Laboratories conducted tests on all of the cannabis featured at the HempCon Festival held in San Francisco in August 2017. The San Francisco-based laboratory discovered that 80 percent of the cannabis at the festival was contaminated with unhealthy levels of solvents, pesticides, molds, fungus, or various bacteria."

—John Geluardi, East Bay Express, 9.20. 2017.)

(Over the decades, I have seen MANY careless and ignorant people with hands contaminated by perfume, cologne, cosmetics, grease, oils [and a number of other toxic substances] use their fingers to prepare marijuana for smoking. I am dismayed by the amount of marijuana I have had to throw away because of toxic substances that stupid and/or careless people have allowed marijuana to come into contact with!)

("Mycobutanil…was found in a product recently recalled by Mettrum Ltd., a Toronto-based medical marijuana company."

Mycobutanil, used to control mildew, is said to emit hydrogen cyanide gas when heated.

"The Mettrum discovery was made recently, when a random screening of the company’s products by Health Canada turned up the unauthorized use of pyrethrin, a pesticide…that is also not approved for medical cannabis…"

—Grant Robertson, The Globe and Mail, 3.10. 2017.)

("While I am grateful for access to the pot clubs…I am at a bit of a loss to understand why, given the virtual absence of risk in producing and distributing pot, it is still so expensive."

"What we have…are facilities charging the high end of street prices to people who are already ostensibly facing hardship."

["An ounce for $300 to $400…"]

"…besides basic capitalist greed, why does it still cost so much? Most of the truly disabled and terminally ill are on a fixed income, rendering the cost of pot not at all that compassionate."

— Quotes from a letter written by Steve Stevens to the editor of the San Francisco Weekly, 1.20. 2010.)

("According to Rand Corporation estimates…legalized…high-grade pot would cost just $20 per pound to produce. And low-grade weed would cost only $5 per pound."

—David Downs, East Bay Express, 10.9. 2013.)

(Since May 2011, four marijuana stores in Richmond, California [near Berkeley and Oakland] "…have paid $486,390 in police fees."

"To some, the situation evokes…the protection racket."

—David Downs, East Bay Express, 8.28. 2013)

(Daniel Rush, the former chair of Berkeley’s Medical Cannabis Commission, was charged with 15 criminal counts, including extortion, fraud, and money-laundering. He later pleaded guilty to three felony counts.

["…federal authorities charged him for offering special treatment to one of the applicants for Berkeley’s fourth dispensary spot."

—Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside.com, 6.23. 2017.])

("I’ve never met so many greedy slugs in my whole life."

—Michelle LaMay, chairwoman of the Teapot Party in Colorado, describing having to deal with the more than 3,000 people who have contacted her because they want to start their own cannabis business. [Willie Nelson was arrested in Texas for possessing marijuana on November 26, 2010. Following his arrest, Nelson founded the Teapot Party.] The quote is from an article by Eric Spitznagel, Bloomberg Businessweek, that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle, 11.20. 2011)

("We did $20 million in sales last year."

—Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside Health Collective, a marijuana store in Oakland. DeAngelo was quoted by Kathleen Pender in an article, "Push to Protect Banks on Legal Pot Business". The San Francisco Chronicle, 5.25. 2010.)

("California’s medical marijuana dispensaries now generate as much as $1.3 billion in sales and $105 million in state sales taxes each year, according to new—and dramatically increased—state sales estimates by California’s Board of Equalization."

"The Board of Equalization earlier this year estimated medical marijuana sales at only $98 million annually…"

— the Sacramento Bee, 5.8. 2010.)

(The Berkeley Patients Group is "a dispensary with about 10,000 patients in the Bay Area". In 2007 the DEA "pounced on a Southern California offshoot of the Berkeley nonprofit for distributing a federally controlled substance. Agents seized nearly everything on-site as well as $100,000 in funds in a bank account."

"The Berkeley dispensary actually got the money back after the City of Berkeley stood up for it. The city stated in a 2008 resolution ‘seizures of assets of medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives have blocked payments of taxes to the state of California and the City of Berkeley.’ The city asked federal authorities to back off and they did."

"Berkeley Patients Group, along with two other Berkeley clubs, net about $18.5 million per year."

—David Downs, the East Bay Express, 9.15. 2010.)

("The city of Berkeley filed a legal claim Wednesday in a federal asset forfeiture case against the landlord of a medical marijuana dispensary here, saying it would lose tax money from pot sales if the dispensary is forced to close."

—Doug Oakley, West County Times, 7.4. 2013.)

("Oakland’s lawsuit said the closure would damage the city, which expects to collect more than $1.4 million this year in business taxes from Harborside and three other city-licensed dispensaries."

—Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 10.14. 2012. Seeking to prevent the forced closure of Harborside Health Center, a "medical marijuana" dispensary, the City of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the federal government.)

Years ago there was a legitimate drug testing laboratory in California where a user could anonymously have a sample of their "dope" tested. Unfortunately, at one point such drug-testing laboratories were declared illegal by federal law enforcement officials and were forced to cease operation. As far as I can tell, the public does not have legal access to any federally-certified illegal-drug testing laboratory.

("This product was produced without regulatory oversight for health, safety or efficacy."

—quote from a blister-pack containing sixteen 10 milligram THC "Orange Zest"-flavored sublingual tablets that were made August 10, 2016 in Salinas, California for a company in Denver, Colorado. [The main isomer of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of marijuana.])

("This product has not been tested as required by the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act."

—quote from a childproof bottle containing one gram of "King Louis OG" cannabis flowers that was sold for $15 in February 2018 by KindPeoples Collective in Soquel, California.)

Many of the anti-drug police say they believe that "harm reduction" strategies increase drug use and are thus unacceptable. Some anti-drug police believe that the world would be a better place if users of illegal drugs died…

("Casual drug users should be taken out and shot. Smoke a joint, lose your life."

—Darryl Gates, Head of Los Angeles Police Department, speaking to a United States Senate Judiciary Committee on September 5, 1990. [Gates said the above because he felt casual drug users were guilty of "treason", according to author Martin Torgoff, writing in his book CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME–America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945-2000.] )

("In 1996, Newt Gingrich introduced a bill mandating the death penalty for bringing two ounces of marijuana into the country!"

[quote from a document published by Unitarian Universalists for Drug Policy Reform].)

("William Bennett, federal drug policy coordinator, said Thursday night he had no moral qualms about beheading convicted drug dealers.

‘Morally, I don’t have any problem with that at all,’ Bennett said when asked on the CNN program ‘Larry King Live’ call-in television show…"

—Los Angeles Times, 6.16. 1989.)

("Quinlivan told the judges that nobody has the right to use marijuana…"

"Judge Harry Pregerson asked Quinlivan whether it was OK for Raich to die or succumb to ‘unbearable suffering.’ ‘So go ahead and die. That would be all right?’ he asked. ‘Congress has made that value judgement,’ Quinlivan replied."

—David Kravets, the Oakland Tribune, 3.28. 2006, in an article about a hearing before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Angel McClary Raich is a very seriously ill patient that multiple doctors say must use marijuana as a medicine or she will likely die. Mark T. Quinlivan is an Assistant U. S. Attorney.)

("One child said ‘I love you, Mom’– for the first time in his life."

—Debra Kamin, Newsweek, 2.23. 2018, describing what happened when a severely autistic child was given marijuana oil. The quote is printed large, with the words "I love you, Mom" in bright red. The front cover of this issue features an image of neon marijuana leaves and the words "The Blunt Truth About Weed and Autism". The back cover is a full-page full-color advertisement for Kavalan whisky. [The article is about a study of 60 severely autistic children who were given an oil containing a 20-to-1 ratio of CBD to THC. The study was conducted by Dr. Adi Aran, a pediatric neurologist and director of the pediatric unit of Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedeck Hospital. "Most parents said their children improved. Nearly half saw a notable reduction in the core symptoms of autism."])

("You’re real! You’re really real!"

—Floyd, age ten, who had never spoken before, after being given a series of large doses of LSD at Fairview Developmental Center in California in the early 1960s. The quote was reported by Connell Cowan, at the time a psych tech, who was one of the people who were giving large doses of LSD to children. Cowan was working with Gary Fisher, a psychologist who had first taken LSD in 1959. [From "The Elementary Kool-Aid Acid Test", a podcast by Amy Standen and Judy Campbell, The Leap, KQED, 4.11. 2017.])

("…good people don’t smoke marijuana."

—Jeff Sessions, in a Senate hearing in April 2016. Sessions is now Attorney General of the United States. He is the chief law enforcement officer and the chief lawyer of the U.S. government. It is obvious that Sessions is very mentally ill, as is Donald Trump, who chose Sessions to be Attorney General.)

("I’m a firm believer that drugs are the root of all evil."

—Contra Costa County [California] deputy sheriff Andy VanZelf, quoted 10.4. 2009 in the Conta Costa Times by columnist Tom Barnidge. "VanZelf [a police officer for 23 years] …was born to the job–his mother, father, and brother were cops–but that’s not why he stuck with it. ‘Putting bad guys in jail is very satisfying,’ he said.")

(“You can grow enough marihuana in a window-box to drive the whole population of the United States stark, staring, raving mad.”

—Winifred Black, an early Hearst anti-cannabis propagandist, in her 1929 book DOPE–THE STORY OF THE LIVING DEAD.)

("According to the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report, in 2007 there were 872,721 arrests in the U.S. for marijuana violations."

—Adam Tschorn, the Los Angeles Times, 9.3. 2009.)

("It was downtown San Jose and another police officer had made a stop on three kids who were touring San Jose on a Saturday night. You know, driving around in circles like American Graffiti. And the officer pulled three kids out of the car and he didn’t know but one kid panicked and tried to swallow a small bag of marijuana—and I pulled up just to watch and assist if needed and didn’t realize what was going on either. And this kid died in front of us choking on a bag of marijuana. He didn’t die because of marijuana, he died because he panicked over these stupid laws we have."

—former San Jose, California undercover narcotics detective Russ Jones, quoted by David Downs, the East Bay Express, 5.12. 2010. Russ Jones is a spokesman for the "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition" organization.)

("The general commanding Mexico’s drug enforcement unit–hailed by U.S. drugs czar McCaffrey as ‘an honest man and no-nonsense field commander’–was detained in 1997 for corruptly collaborating with Amado Carillo Fuentes."

—Kevin Williamson, in DRUGS AND THE PARTY LINE.)

(Because I am a disabled homeless senior citizen who has VERY little money, I cannot afford the fee that doctors charge to issue a recommendation that I be allowed to use "medical marijuana". I cannot afford the administrative fee charged for the issuance of a "medical marijuana" card. Even if I had the proper paperwork, I am too poor to be able to pay the high prices the local "medical marijuana" stores charge. I have never grown marijuana. Because I am homeless I have no place where I can grow marijuana.)

A randomly-edited selection of approximately 700 of my pictures may be viewed by clicking on the link below: www.flickr.com/groups/psychedelicart/pool/43237970@N00/

Please click here to read my "autobiography": thewordsofjdyf333.blogspot.com/

And my "profile" page may be viewed by clicking on this link: www.flickr.com/people/jdyf333/

My telephone number is: 510-260-9695

Please note: DEPICTION IS NOT ADVOCACY!!!

Posted by jdyf333 on 2007-08-03 05:53:01

Tagged: , jdyf333 , outsider , psychedelic , trippy , hallucinations , visions , dreams , lightshow , doodles , art , psychedelic art , outsider art , trance , weed , tripping , tripper , trip , reefermadness , purplebarrel , psychedelicyberepidemic , pot , marijuana , lysergic , lightshows , jazz , highart , herb , enchanted , dream , doodle , coloursplosion , cannabis , caffeine , bliss , artoutsider , arte , artcafe , acid , abstracto , abigfave , 420 , Berkeley California , entheogasm , Davivid Rose , Cannabis Indica , Cannabis Sativa , LSD , d-lysergic acid diethylamide , Clearlight LSD , Orange Sunshine LSD , Blue Sunshine LSD , Xmas Sunshine LSD

The post ELECTRIC MARIJUANA appeared first on Good Info.

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filipeteimuraz · 6 years ago

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10 Trending 2019 Website Color Schemes

There’s a lot to take into consideration when you’re designing a website: there’s the layout, the architecture, the CTAs, picking your domain name, setting up a host, configuring the backend, picking a theme, perfecting the wording of your value proposition, and deciding which visuals to use. The list goes on and on.

All too often website color scheme is an afterthought.

So many site owners put little to no thought into picking their website color palette, let alone a trending color scheme. They think, How important could website colors really be?

Well, the color choices on your website, and how dated they feel, has a bigger impact on visitors than you might realize.

In fact, research shows that people judge products within 90 seconds of exposure — and 90% of that judgment is based on color alone. Choosing the right colors can enhance readability by 40%, increase comprehension by 73%, and improve learning by 78%.

Colors are one of the most important elements that add credibility to your website. According to HubSpot, 46% of people rank the design of a website the number one factor in determining the credibility of a company.

The University of Toronto conducted an interesting study on colors and how they are perceived by individuals. The results were very intriguing. They determined that most people prefer combinations of simple colors. In most cases, just two or three colors were perceived as appealing. That’s why sticking to a color palette is so important to the success of your site, and ultimately your business.

But there are more than 10 million colors in the world. That’s overwhelming, to say the least. How can you determine which colors are the best for your website?

Whether you have a new site that you’re designing from scratch or an old website that needs a facelift and some improvements, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will show you which site color palettes are trending in 2019, so you can find the best ones for your website. We’ll look at examples of real websites and list some of the exact color codes used for on those sites.

1. Soft tones

Soft tones are definitely trending in 2019. Creations Namale is a jewelry brand based in Canada. Here’s a screenshot from the 2019 look book on the homepage of their website:

The colors are soft, classy, and very appealing. It’s a perfect choice for a brand in the fashion industry selling jewelry. The simple tones work well with each other and the jewelry stand outs.

In addition to the simple color scheme used on this site, the layout takes the same approach. The white space lets the page breathe. This will be a common theme as we continue throughout this guide.

As you can see, there is minimal text. Rather than trying to cram as many products as possible onto one page, this site takes the approach of just one at a time.

If you’re interested in using these colors on your website, here are the exact color codes you’ll need:

As you can see, you need just two or three colors to be appealing to an audience. If this site had used six or seven color tones in the design, the simplicity and trendy effect would be lost.

2. Simple grey, off white, and a pop of red

Let’s continue with the simplicity trend. You don’t need to have lots of busy colors to have an appealing website color scheme. Simple website color palettes are less distracting and allow your audience to focus on what’s important to them. Check out this page from Tareq Portfolio. Tareq Ismail is an experienced designer, so it’s only natural that he chose a powerfully simple design and color scheme for his own website.

This page is a bit different from the previous example. There is more text on the page, but it’s still simple and easy to read. Rather than using a pure white tone, Tareq chose a slightly off-white color to blend with his grey and red color palette. This off-white works well since he’s wearing a white shirt in the image on this page. The subtle hints of red the text really complete the look and take a page that would be otherwise boring and make it pop.

These are the color codes used on Tareq’s site.

This is a great option to consider if you’re looking for a color palette that’s professional, simple, and works well with pages that have bit more text.

3. Gradient blues and greens with white text

Stripe is a payment processing software for Internet businesses. It’s a very popular tool used by ecommerce companies. As a technology brand, Stripe needs to stay up to date with all of the latest tech trends. But they also have a website color scheme that’s trendy as well.

Before we look at what their website looks like today, take a look at what their site looked like six years ago, back in 2013:

Is there anything wrong with this design? On the surface, it just looks a little bit boring and dull. There’s nothing about it that’s really visually appealing.

But Stripe made adjustments. It’s current color palette uses a technique that’s been growing in popularity: gradients. Take a look for yourself:

Shades of blue. Shades of green. White. Very simple.

By using a gradient scale, Stripe takes a very simple blue color and blends it with different tones. The difference between the 2013 site and the 2019 site is like night and day. Even if you’d seen the two homepages without knowing the years, you’d have been able to identify the newest one.

If your website is currently outdated, and looks more like the Stripe site from 2013, try adding color gradients to give your palette a more modern look.

4. Throwback oranges and red tones

Retro color schemes are making a big comeback in 2019. Lots of top brands are using popular colors from the 80s and 90s on their website. But they are putting a modern twist on them.

It’s a bit of an oxymoron. How can something by retro and modern at the same time?

Let’s look at the Spotify homepage.

These orange and red tones have a throwback vibe to them. These are warm colors that give people some nostalgia for their childhood and adolescent years.

Spotify’s polka dot colors are inspired by the 80s and 90s, but the design itself is very trendy and uses gradient scales, which are very current, to blend the colors.

It’s important to make sure you understand who you’re trying to target with your website color schemes. This goes far beyond just picking pink designs for women and blue designs for men. To find a retro color scheme that fits your audience, you can use generational marketing to segment your target audience.

5. Soft pink, bright pink, and jet black

Cowboy differentiates its brand by selling electric bikes on a modern, and very pink, website. Typically, the words “Cowboy” and “pink” don’t normally go hand in hand. But the sleek and trendy design of this website is perfect.

The soft pink tones in the background makes the jet black bike stand out and become the center of attention. By adding the brighter pink accents in subtle locations around the page, Cowboy Bike nails the trendy and modern color palette.

Most people would assume that pink would be used to target females. But there is nothing feminine about this website. The product appeals to both genders. It just goes to show you that you can throw certain stereotypes right out of the window when it comes to choosing a color palette for your website.

If you like this design and think that the modern feel would work well for your website, you can use these color codes as a reference when you’re choosing your color scheme:

6. Grey, soft yellow, and deep green

The QED Group is a website based in the Czech Republic. They offer services to both companies and individuals to help improve organizational development by applying concepts in psychology and behavioral economics.

It’s safe to say that the business model of the QED Group is very unique. Along those same lines, they implemented some of the latest color palettes on their website as well.

At first glance, the color palette of their home page is a bit busier than some of the other examples that we’ve looked at so far. But they still pull it off well with this trendy design.

Normally you would think that yellow, green, and purple tones would be difficult to read and hard on the eyes. By using lighter and dull grey tones in the background, they are able to add brighter contrasting colors to the middle silhouette.

If you like the modern look of these soft yellow tones paired with grey and deep green, check out these color codes:

7. A very light touch of earth tone

Konstantopoulos S.A. “Olymp” sells greek olives. Earth tones, especially olive tones, make sense for its website.

The layout and design of this homepage are very simple. It uses a color scheme that’s visually appealing and fits well with the product that’s being sold. The main color choice here is green — olive green, of course. But as you can see, it’s used very sparingly. This is key for getting that modern look with a more classic color palette.

Rather than going overboard with wall to wall saturation of dark greens, the soft grey background adds a more modern and trendy feel to the website. Behind that grey, there are green leaves that are muted, since they are layered behind the design. This technique allows the green text and logo to have a stronger presence on the page.

For a business that sells olives, the earth tones color palette was a great choice. Refer to these green, grey, and light brown color codes to get a similar look on your website.

You can do something similar if your product has an identifiable color: start with the light grey background and darker grey copy color, and add your accent color in sparingly.

8. Lots of red, balanced with muted tones

If you look back at all of the trending website color schemes we’ve covered so far, you’ll notice a popular color that’s rarely used. Red.

That’s because red is one of the most powerful, but challenging colors to use on a website. One way to effectively use read is to use it lightly to give a pop of color to something as small as a few key words in the text.

Another way is to pair more muted colors with red.

The creative branding agency five/four swung for the fences by using a bright red color on a huge portion of their website.

The reason why this bright red was so successful is because five/four used muted tones on the rest of their page. If they had decided to go with bright yellow, light blue, and bright orange in addition to this red color, it would have been way too much.

But these soft colors pair perfectly with red. This red works really well for the brand, too. It’s bright, bold, and draws lots of attention to the theme of creativity.

So for those of you who want to go modern and bold with your color scheme, consider using these color codes with red on your website.

Just make sure you don’t go too big with the red. You want to be certain that you have enough of the softer tones to let your page breathe, while still capturing a trendy appearance.

9. Futuristic pastels and primaries

When it comes to choosing a color scheme for your website, it’s a good call to follow in the footsteps of those who have experience in this field. No need to reinvent the wheel.

That’s why this list wouldn’t be complete without an example from Anton & Irene. These are professional designers based in New York. They specialize in all aspects of design, including digital products. Of course they have a modern and trendy color palette on their website.

One of the best parts about this website color scheme is the futuristic feel about it. The outfit choices of Anton and Irene are pretty far out.

While this site uses more colors than some of the other examples we’ve seen so far, they are used sparingly, so the page isn’t messy or unappealing.

If you’re looking for an artistic spin for your website color scheme, try using different combinations of these exact colors.

10. Black on black on black

We’ve seen some black on nearly every website that we’ve looked at so far. But the black was always used pretty sparingly. It’s usually used for text, as opposed to the main colors or background.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use heavy blacks in more abundance for your website color scheme, especially if you use different black tones like these:

Let’s see what happens when you combine these tones. Check out the JY BH homepage. By combining different shades of black, you’ll get the gradient effect, which you saw earlier with some of our other examples. The heavy black gradient gives the site a mysterious look.

This company is a French clothing manufacturer. They sell luxury garments and accessories for both men and women. Just like in fashion, black is a timeless color. It’s been popular for years, and will continue to be popular in 2019.

But if you’re going to go black on your website, use different shades, like the example above. Just one black will look flat and basic.

Conclusion

It’s 2019. That means it’s time for you to ditch the color scheme you were using years ago. It’s important to switch it up because color schemes can impact sales on your website.

Choosing the right website color palette doesn’t have to be hard. To update your website with a look that’s modern, trendy, and unique, you can use any of the palettes in this guide. You can even use some of the exact color codes that we showcased.

What colors schemes are you using on your website now? What will you update them to for 2019?

http://www.quicksprout.com/trending-website-color-schemes/ Read more here - http://review-and-bonuss.blogspot.com/2019/01/10-trending-2019-website-color-schemes.html

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lindyhunt · 6 years ago

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29 Office Costume Ideas for Marketing Nerds & Tech Geeks

Halloween is a fun holiday, and it doesn't get the attention it deserves. It doesn't have recognizable songs or vacation days associated with it, and it falls on a busy time of year for most people in the workforce.

But that doesn't mean you should skip the festivities at your office Halloween celebration.

How many days of the year are you encouraged to dress up and goof around at work? Probably just one -- Halloween -- and even then, it can be hard to know what's office-appropriate.

We want you to have fun this Halloween, so we're taking the work out if it for you. We've compiled a list of DIY Halloween costume ideas that are easy to put together, inexpensive, and perfect for the digital marketer or tech professional.

If your family and friends don't get your costume, your colleagues definitely will.

29 Office Costume Ideas for Marketing Nerds & Tech Geeks

Computer Costumes

1. Alt Text

Alt text isn't just the metadata of an image published on the web -- you could also say it's an "alternative" fashion statement with the text to describe the era. This was HubSpot Director of Content Corey Wainwright's office Halloween costume a few years ago. It's great because you don't even look dressed up if you have a casual office dress code, so you can just blend in.

To dress as alt text this halloween, break out your best 90s alternative garb -- our coworker Corey went with black jeans, combat boots, and a flannel. Then, tape hyphenated text that best describes what you're wearing, much like an image of your outfit would do online to help search engines read the file.

We edited a sash of alt text on to the alternatively dressed girl below, just to help you picture your awesome costume.

Source: That's Life

2. SEO Ninja

Speaking of dorking out on SEO, you could be everyone's favorite LinkedIn title -- the SEO ninja. Dress in all black, buy a black ski mask, and tape keywords all over yourself. Voila ... you're an actual ninja -- just one much more concerned with search engine optimization than lurking in the darkness.

Source: Pinterest

3. Mobile App

Wander around holding an appetizer -- candy, cheese and crackers, chips and dip ... whatever you have on hand. Boom. You're a mobile "app."

This costume also doubles as a great way to introduce yourself and make friends at a party.

Source: Opportunity Max

4. Instagrammer

Want another way to turn handing out food into a costume? Dress up like a hipster and hand out graham crackers. You're an "instant" "gram" cracker server -- or, for short, an Instagrammer. Pun absolutely intended.

5. Ghostwriter

Have you ever written something for somebody else's byline? Such is the life of a "ghostwriter." Turn your author-less accomplishment into this year's office Halloween costume.

To dress up as a ghostwriter, grab a white sheet and cut a hole for your head and arms. Dob some black ink spots on the sheet, get a book and one of those feather quills (or just get a feather, I suppose), and boo -- you're a ghostwriter.

6. Whitespace

Whitespace on the internet might just denote all the blank space you use to help your design stand out, but on Halloween, "whitespace" isn't just the absence of space.

Dress in all white -- add white face paint and a white wig if you're ultra-committed. Then add a hint of color somewhere on the outfit, like a colored tie or scarf, or even a paint splotch. That color splotch will make the white space more prominent, transforming you into "whitespace."

7. Error 404 Code

You've most likely encountered a funny error 404 page before, and you can make it a funny costume, too. Grab a sheet of paper, write "Error 404: Costume Not Found," and tape it to your outfit.

A photo posted by RachAel Klopfenstein (@theklopf) on Sep 5, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT

8. (Monty) Python

If you're into programming code, British comedy, and low-effort costumes, being (Monty) Python is perfect. Dress up in anything remotely snakelike in your closet: olive green clothing, snakeskin accessories, and fake vampire teeth that can serve as your fangs.

Then, to amp up the dork factor on this costume, add two coconuts or a gold chalice to embody Monty Python on his quest for the Holy Grail.

9. Facebook

Grab face paint or eyeliner and write "book" across your cheeks. Just like that, you're the world's biggest social network for Halloween.

And for your sake, we hope your colleagues actually get it:

Source: AndPop

10. Unicorn

Here's another tech-friendly, double-entendre costume: Be your own version of a tech unicorn. Here at HubSpot, we love this tech icon, and you can easily make your own version of a unicorn horn with help from this article.

Source: WikiHow

11. Phishing Emails

Phishing emails are nothing to joke about -- they can seriously threaten your technology and data security. But on Halloween, you can dress up as a play on phishing emails for an easy DIY costume. All you need are a stick, a piece of string, and an envelope. Bonus points if you own a bucket hat and vest to complete the ensemble. Check out an amusing version of this costume below.

Source: Car and Driver

12. Copycat

"CNTRL + C" is the popular keyboard macro allowing you to copy items from one place to another on your computer. Well, here's a technology spin on a classic Halloween costume. All you'll need are cat ears, eyeliner-drawn whiskers, and a sheet of paper. Write "CNTRL + C" on the paper, tape it to your outfit, and you're a "copycat."

Source: BuzzFeed

13. The Blue Screen of Death

You know the screen, even if you don't know the morbid nickname the tech world has given it. This classic error screen is known for signaling the end of a computer's useful life, and you know it when you see it. It causes so much stress on site, in fact, that the color alone is scary enough for October 31.

Believe it or not, there are official T-shirts you can get with the blue screen of death copy printed on them. Want to make your own? All you need is a royal blue t-shirt and a printed version of this horrifying error message to pin to it.

Source: Spreadshirt

Emoji Costumes

14. Information Desk Girl

This genius professional found a golden (or, rather, purple) opportunity to be the "information desk emoji, the many gestures of whom we've all come to know, love, and use at some point in a text conversation.

The best part about this awesome tech reference is that you don't need to alter your regular attire to make it work. As Naomi shows us below, it's all in the hand gestures.

View this post on Instagram

No one recognized my Halloween costume for work until I started texting and striking poses #emojicostume #lazycostume

A post shared by Naomi (@naomi_yyz) on Oct 30, 2015 at 3:26pm PDT

15. Dancing Girls Emoji

If you're the owner of one of the nearly more than 1 billion Apple iPhones sold worldwide, you're probably familiar with the dancing girls emoji, shown below.

The easiest version of this costume is to find a buddy and dress all in black together. If you're committed to emoji authenticity, buy black bunny ears to complete the look.

Source: Brit + Co

16. Heart Eyes

Are you just in love with Halloween? Prove it with this passionate emoji face. You don't have to paint your entire face, chin to hairline, to get the Heart Eyes Emoji just right, but it certainly helps. It'll also disguise your stress when you're at your most focused during the day.

"This employee just seems to love her job, I can't put my finger on why," your manager will think ... See how to paint this emoji onto your face below (you'll need some help for this one).

youtube

Topical Office Costumes

17. Fully Vested

At work, "fully vested" usually refers to one's ability to earn all matching funds of a 401(k) retirement plan. But for some, you just can't help but picture someone wearing lots of sleeveless jackets at the same time. Now's the time to personify that image.

If you work in a company where people would get the joke, put on a bunch of vests (at least three, but even more is encouraged), and that's about it. You're fully vested.

18. Nerd

What I love about the nerd costume is that it's effortless and always unique -- there are many ways to be a nerd in this day and age. Are you a tech nerd, a video game nerd, or a book nerd? The sky is the limit with this costume. Show up wearing glasses with your favorite accessories, such as a magic wand, book, or lightsaber, to complete the effect.

19. A Solar Eclipse

Last year, the solar eclipse took over the internet -- and the country. As millions of people flocked to the path of totality to (hopefully) catch a glimpse of this rare event without burning their corneas, millions more made jokes about it on social media.

To dress up as a solar eclipse for Halloween, you'll need a work pal to dress up as the sun and the moon with you. One of you wears black, the other wears yellow, and you both wear dark sunglasses. Then, at the Halloween party, the one dressed in black spends the whole time standing in front of the one in yellow.

Source: Pinterest

20. The 'Evil Kermit' Meme

If you haven't heard of this mega-popular meme this year, you've probably seen it somewhere: It features Kermit the Frog, face-to-face with his evil twin, Evil Kermit. Evil Kermit looks identical, except for the black cloak.

For this costume, you and a coworker can keep it simple: You both wear green shirts, and one of you wears a black hoodie or jacket on top. If you really want to commit to the costume, you'll spring for some green face paint to complete the ensemble. Walk around the party together, facing one another, for maximum effect.

21. Eleven from Stranger Things

Eleven from Netflix's hit series Stranger Things is universally beloved, and it's a bonus that her signature look is a comfortable and easy-to-assemble costume. Rock your best Eleven with a dress, a denim jacket, and a box of Eggo Waffles.

Source: Business Insider

22. Pokémon GO Trainer

Pokémon GO had roughly 45 million people walking around in cities glued to their phones last summer (I, among them). To pay homage to the explosion of this tech trend, you'll need a t-shirt that's red, yellow, or blue. Using fabric paint or permanent marker, write Valor (for red), Instinct (for yellow), or Mystic (for blue) on your shirt.

Spend Halloween walking around pointing your phone at objects, and you're the spitting image of a Pokémon GO trainer. Gotta catch 'em all, right?

A photo posted by Odinia (@marshmallowsie) on Aug 9, 2016 at 4:44pm PDT

Group Office Costumes

23. Google Algorithm Update

Find a couple of office buddies for this one -- one panda, one penguin, and one pigeon. You might be thinking, "what the heck is the pigeon algorithm update?" 1) It's a thing, and 2) we checked Amazon for hummingbird costumes and there aren't any cheap ones available.

Source: Opportunity Max

24. Black Hat and White Hat SEO

This is another SEO-related costume, and I think you can figure this one out on your own. I recommend wearing a black hat for one, and a white hat for the other, and having "SEO" embroidered on each one -- which you can easily custom order.

Source: SEO-Hacker

25. Series A Round of Funding

Get a bunch of people together, write the letter "A" on your shirt, and line up. (You could do subsequent funding rounds using the same principle, too.)

26. Snapchat Filters

Here's another group costume idea that pays tribute to Snapchat's filters feature.

There are numerous options that you and your team can choose from to embody this costume. You could dress up as vomiting rainbows, cat and dog ears, a flower crown, or a face swap, and this could be as DIY or store-bought as you're interested in pursuing. For example, here's some inspiration for a couple of the dog filters:

Source: PopSugar

27. Snapchat Ghosts

Put a marketing spin on a classic Halloween costume by arriving as a Snapchat ghost. You'll all need a white sheet and to pick which ghost you like the most.

Source: YouTube

28. PAC-MAN and Company

Here's yet another awesome ghostly costume idea your whole team at work can get in on. Have your team lead wear the yellow pie-shaped garb of PAC-MAN, with each team member dressed as the multi-colored ghosts that roam the screen in this vintage arcade game.

Just make sure the team lead doesn't actually try to eat the ghosts -- you're in an office, and you're all technically on the same team.

Source: Meningrey

29. Instagram Filters

For this group costume, you'll need white t-shirts and fabric markers. Draw an Instagram photo frame on the front of your shirts, and each team member can write a different Instagram filter's name inside the photo frame. Or, create frame props with different filters on them like the group did below:

Source: Nails Magazine

The clothes don't make the marketer, but the costume can certainly make the culture at your company. Find out what it takes to hire and train the best fits for your open roles in the free ebook, available below.

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cynthiajayusa · 6 years ago

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LGBT History Month 2018

LGBT History Month celebrates the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Icons. In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders. They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur that month. Gay and Lesbian History Month was endorsed by GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Education Association and other national organizations. In 2006 Equality Forum assumed responsibility for providing content, promotion and resources for LGBT History Month. The LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community and makes the civil rights statement about our extraordinary national and international contributions.

This week we profile Lance Bass, Gilbert Baker and James Beard.

Lance Bass

Pop Singer (Born: May 4, 1979)

“The constant fear of people discovering who you really were and the inevitable shame that would fall upon you and your family dictated how you lived your life every day.”

Lance Bass is an American singer who rose to fame as a member of the pop group NSYNC, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. NSYNC produced two Billboard No. 1 albums, “No Strings Attached” (2000) and “Celebrity” (2001), before splitting up. Bass came out as gay in a People magazine cover story in July 2006.

Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Bass was raised Southern Baptist. He sang in the church choir and in local and state performance groups. He joined NSYNC at age 16 and toured Europe with the group from 1995 to 1997. RCA Records signed the band in 1998, launching their career in the United States.

NSYNC performed five national and international concert tours and sold over 70 million records. “No Strings Attached,” the group’s second album, was the fastest-selling record in history with sales of 1.1 million copies on the day of its release. Two of the band’s best-performing singles, the No. 1 hits “It’s Gonna Be Me” and “Bye Bye Bye” appear on the album. NSYNC received eight Grammy Award nominations between 2000 and 2003, including the 2001 nomination of “Bye Bye Bye” for Record of the Year.

Bass also enjoyed a career in film, television and radio. In 2001 he guest starred on the television drama “7th Heaven.” The same year, he played the lead in the romantic comedy film “On the Line.” In 2005 Bass finished in third place on the seventh season of the television series “Dancing With the Stars.” From 2012 to 2016, he hosted “Dirty Pop with Lance Bass,” a daily radio show on Sirius XM featuring LGBT-related topics.

In addition to his entertainment endeavors, Bass is a space exploration advocate. From 2003 to 2005, he served as World Space Week’s Youth Spokesman, traveling to high schools to encourage students to explore science and space-related careers. Since 2004 he has served on the National Space Society’s board of governors.

In 2014 Bass married Ben Thigpen, a New York City hairstylist, in a ceremony on the E! channel. The broadcast made them the first same-sex couple to wed on an American television network.

The Human Rights Campaign honored Bass with its Visibility Award in October 2006. His autobiography, “Out of Sync,” debuted on the New York Times best-seller list upon its release in October 2007. NSYNC received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2018.

Gilbert Baker

Rainbow Flag Designer (born: June 2, 1951-d. March 31, 2017)

“I love going to cities around the world and seeing the rainbow flag.”

Gilbert Baker was an American artist and LGBT activist best known for creating the rainbow flag. The flag provided a defining symbol for the LGBT civil rights movement and is considered the first and most widely recognized gay symbol today.

Growing up gay in the small rural town of Chanute, Kansas, Baker felt like an outcast. After spending a year in college, he was drafted into the army and served as a medic. He was stationed in San Francisco, where he remained for most of his life.

Baker became friends with Harvey Milk, a gay rights leader and among the first openly gay politicians elected to public office. A member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Milk asked Baker to create a symbol for the gay rights movement. Baker flew his first rainbow flag at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978, where roughly a quarter of a million marchers participated. Milk was assassinated in November of that year. Following Milk’s death, demand for Baker’s flag increased dramatically.

With the help of volunteers using trash cans of dye, Baker made his first flag in the attic of the Gay Community Center of San Francisco. The original design included eight stripes: pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for peace and purple for the human spirit.

Many years and flags later, the self-described “gay Betsy Ross” spent months creating a 30-foot wide, mile-long flag featuring just six colors of the rainbow. Commissioned in 1994 for the 25thanniversary of the Stonewall riots, it was hoisted by thousands of New York City marchers. The Guinness Book of World Records officially declared it the largest flag in the world.

In 2003 Baker was the subject of a feature-length documentary, “Rainbow Pride.” He was interviewed for the DVD of the 2008 Academy Award-winning film “Milk,” and he was featured in Dustin Lance Black’s 2017 documentary series about LGBT rights, “When We Rise.”

In 2015 the Museum of Modern Art listed the rainbow flag as one of the most important symbols globally. It continues to fly at gay marches and events around the world.

Baker died at age 65. The New York Times published his obituary.

James Beard

Internationally Renowned Chef (Born: May 5, 1903 – d. January 21, 1985)

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

Dubbed the “Dean of American Cookery” by The New York Times in 1954, James Beard was a prominent American chef, culinary instructor and television personality. He is regarded as the first TV chef. Beard wrote 20 cookbooks and trained countless other acclaimed chefs.

Born in Portland, Oregon, Beard was exposed to Pacific Northwest cooking, which included seafood, moose meat and venison. His family made meals using wild berries and freshly caught fish. Chinese culture and the meals prepared by his family’s Chinese helper also influenced him, along with the culture and cuisine of France, where he spent his 20s. During the 1950s, Beard was known for bringing French cuisine to the American middle and upper classes.

After briefly attending Reed College in Portland, Beard was expelled. He believed it was due to his homosexuality. In 1937 he moved to New York City, and in 1939 he founded a successful catering company, Hors D’oeuvre, Inc., which served the Manhattan elite.

In 1940, at age 37, Beard published his first cookbook, “Hors D’oeuvre & Canapés,” which contained a collection of his catering recipes. In 1942 he garnered acclaim for elevating outdoor cooking with “Cook It Outdoors.” His best-selling cookbook, “Beard on Beard,” was released in 1973. He also wrote articles and columns for numerous magazines such as Woman’s Day and House & Garden.

In 1946 Beard began hosting television’s first live cooking show, “I Love to Eat,” on NBC. His popularity led to endorsement deals for products such as Omaha Steaks and Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer. In 1955 he created the James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, Oregon. He dedicated more than 30 years of his life to teaching and mentoring chefs at his two schools and to lecturing at women’s clubs and other civic groups around the nation.

Beard died of heart failure at the age of 81. The James Beard Foundation was established in 1986 to honor his life’s work. Since 1991 the prestigious James Beard Awards have annually honored chefs and restaurants. Early recipients included Wolfgang Puck and Rick Bayless. The Foundation’s scholarship program has provided more than $4.6 million in financial assistance to students and chefs to help develop and advance their culinary careers.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/10/11/lgbt-history-month-2018/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/10/lgbt-history-month-2018.html

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hotspotsmagazine · 6 years ago

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LGBT History Month 2018

This week we profile Lance Bass, Gilbert Baker and James Beard.

Lance Bass

Pop Singer (Born: May 4, 1979)

“The constant fear of people discovering who you really were and the inevitable shame that would fall upon you and your family dictated how you lived your life every day.”

In 2014 Bass married Ben Thigpen, a New York City hairstylist, in a ceremony on the E! channel. The broadcast made them the first same-sex couple to wed on an American television network.

Gilbert Baker

Rainbow Flag Designer (born: June 2, 1951-d. March 31, 2017)

“I love going to cities around the world and seeing the rainbow flag.”

In 2015 the Museum of Modern Art listed the rainbow flag as one of the most important symbols globally. It continues to fly at gay marches and events around the world.

Baker died at age 65. The New York Times published his obituary.

James Beard

Internationally Renowned Chef (Born: May 5, 1903 – d. January 21, 1985)

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/10/11/lgbt-history-month-2018/

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sobeardtastemaker-blog · 7 years ago

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How to Get Super-Targeted Facebook Traffic on Demand

New Post has been published on http://www.elimarketing.org/how-to-get-super-targeted-facebook-traffic-on-demand/

How to Get Super-Targeted Facebook Traffic on Demand

This month we’re continuing our series on how to build your own business using a lead magnet, a squeeze page and Facebook.

First we started with creating the perfect lead magnet that targets your audience and makes them sign up for your list.

Next we covered exactly how to build a squeeze page or landing page that gets those visitors to say, “YES! Add me to your list NOW!”

Today in our third installment, we’re going to cover how to get as much traffic as you want from Facebook. And of course you’re going to send this traffic to your squeeze page to build your targeted list big and fast.

Once you have learned all three of these skills, you can literally go into any market and create a list building machine in just days.

Better still, you can take it one step further and build a complete product funnel behind your lead magnet, offering a tripwire (low ticket) offer, followed by your main offer, followed by a big ticket item.

In fact we are going to cover all of that in our final installment of the series coming next month.

This way your lead generation will completely pay for itself.

And once that happens, you can generate as much traffic on demand as you like without having to come out of pocket financially.

This also means you can build your list as FAST as you like, too.

Do you want a list of 1,000 new subscribers this week?

Or 10,000 subscribers this month? It’s possible when you follow all four steps in this series.

So let’s get started on bringing you as much super-targeted Facebook traffic as you can possibly handle…

If you’ve been following along with the series, you should now have a lead magnet created and a squeeze page in place to capture your new leads.

The next step is traffic.

Of course, there are many ‘free’ methods of traffic generation that actually cost you a great deal of time and effort.

Which is why we like Facebook so much – you can drive as much traffic as you like, whenever you like, once you know what you’re doing.

Facebook Ad Campaign Basics:

Your ad needs to look and feel like something your audience will resonate with. Don’t put a bottle of fingernail polish in your ad if you’re targeting construction workers. Think of who you are targeting as real people, and consider what they WANT.

Things to consider:

1: Your lead magnet should be the perfect ‘present’ to your target audience.

2: Your ad copy is your invitation to get the free lead magnet. Use language that will resonate with your target market. Call out their pain points, talk about the big benefit of your free gift and really entice them with your copy.

3: Your ad image or video (your visual representation) should speak to your audience. You want to convey just how awesome your offer is in every aspect of your ad.

4: Your ad should be consistent with your squeeze page. You want to use similar visuals, similar copy and have nearly the same title as your lead magnet. If things change from the ad to the squeeze page, it will confuse people and they will click away rather than put in their email address.

5: Targeting is crucial – you’ve got to get your campaign in front of the right people. Many marketers target too broadly, or they target the wrong audience, and because of that they don’t get the results they should.

Now we’re going to go more in-depth on each of the above 5…

The Lead Magnet, which is your gift

Just briefly reviewing what we already covered in the previous section on lead magnets – your lead magnet or free offer has to be something your target market WANTS. I know this is super obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I see the wrong lead magnet offered to the right audience or vice-a-versa.

If your target market is overweight women over 40 years old who want to lose weight, don’t offer a lead magnet on 10 delicious chocolate cake recipes. Yes, you’re probably going to get a lot of overweight women of all ages, but who says they want to lose weight?

Instead, offer a lead magnet called, “Ladies: 5 Surprising Tips To Lose Weight Over The Age Of 40” or something along those lines. This way you are targeting your exact audience, as well as offering them exactly what they want.

Another thing to consider is this: You’re not really giving your lead magnet away. Not really. You are instead selling your lead magnet for the price of an email address. When you view it like this, you realize you need to step up your offer and make it a really good one that your prime prospects are willing to ‘buy’ with their email address.

Your ad copy

Your copy should speak to YOUR market, hit their pain points and talk about the benefit of your offer. And you’ve got to do all of this while sounding like a REAL person.

Remember that this is a SOCIAL platform where people are looking to connect with family and friends, and not to be sold to. So make sure that your copy is personal and written to speak to your market.

There is no template we can give you, because every single market is different, and every lead magnet is different. But we can tell you what all successful ads have in common:

Speak in terms of benefits and pain points. For example,

“Lose the weight forever without going hungry.”

“Transform your career without disrupting your life.”

“Find the love of your life and never be lonely again.”

When appropriate, call your target audience out by name. For example, “Attention Programmers…” or “Turning 50?” or “For Single Ladies Only.”

And when you’re a local business, call out your location as well. “Learn to skydive in Southern California,” or “New Yorkers, let us walk your dog.”

Use specific numbers when appropriate. For example, “94% of ABC Graduates are employed within 6 months and have an average starting salary of $64,590.”

Use the bottom section of your ad to help your prospect overcome any doubts they might have. For example, you can use short, to-the-point testimonials to drive your point home. Example: “Using this guide I saved $54,395 in six months!” -Joe Smith

Have a call to action. Tell them what to do without yelling or hitting them over the head. “Grab your copy here.”

Research plenty of ads for similar products to get ideas. Write as though you are talking to your prospect right there in the room. Don’t waste words. When in doubt, get a copywriter to help you.

And test. Do plenty of testing to see which copy works the best for your lead magnet to hit just the right target audience.

Your ad image or video, also known as the ‘creative’

You can use an image or a video on Facebook, so you’ve got choices.

Your image is what most people see first, before they even read your copy. That’s why it needs to be the most interesting thing in your ad.

Pick something that really represents your offer and the message you’re trying to put out with your copy.

Images can be photos, cartoons, diagrams, etc. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it really should help to convey your message.

It’s a literal representation of the message you’re trying to relay to your audience.

You can place a line of copy on your image to very clearly show and say your message.

For example, if your line is, “Don’t bottle up your feelings” for a counseling company, then the image could be bottles that look unhappy (I’ve actually seen this one.)

If the line on your image is, “Turn your subscribers into raving fans,” then the image itself would be a group of raving fans.

You might need to hire a graphic artist to get just the right image, but it will be well worth it.

When looking for images, go to Google, type in your keyword and click images. This will show you which images are clicked on the most for the keyword, and it will give you lots of ideas.

As with the copy, be sure to test your images to see which one works best.

Consistency and congruency

Is your ad congruent with your squeeze page? Imagine your ad is red and purple and talks about going back to college.

But when people click the ad, they are taken to a squeeze page that is green and orange, and talks about making money.

This isn’t congruent but it sure is confusing, which is why people will leave without filling out the squeeze page form.

Maintain consistency throughout your funnel until the person takes the action you’re seeking, which in this case is filling out that squeeze page.

And when you place an offer behind your squeeze page to monetize your entire funnel, you’ll want that to be consistent as well. (We’ll cover monetizing your squeeze funnel next month.)

Three things that must be congruent from your ad to your squeeze page are the design and imagery, the benefits you talk about, and the offer itself.

For the design, you want the same color scheme, layout, imagery and font selection/size/color. This isn’t to say the ad and squeeze page should look exactly the same, but they should look consistent. For example, two different photos of the same woman, the same or very similar colors and the same font.

Make sure you talk about the same benefit(s) and use the same language between the ad and the squeeze page. And maintain the same offer as well. A good way to do this is to use an almost identical headline in the ad and the squeeze page.

Be consistent or you will lose people. It’s that simple. And it makes your job easier, too.

Targeting

Invite the RIGHT people to get your lead magnet. The best campaign placed in front of the wrong people will fail.

Targeting broad keywords does not work well. Instead, target specifics. For example, if you type in a keyword into the Facebook ad platform and it tells you that your potential reach is 20 million people just in the United States, then you’re being far too broad. You need to get more specific and you will get much better results.

Facebook makes targeting fairly easy because they have more interest based data than anyone in the world. Facebook knows exactly what people like because it monitors everything everyone does on the platform.

Facebook not only knows what we’re doing on Facebook, but they also track what we’re doing all over the web.

And all of this is great news for us as marketers, because we can target the very best people – the ones most likely to buy – for our offers.

Facebook has 1.6 BILLION users – guaranteed, many of your future customers are on Facebook.

When you set up your Facebook campaign, you’ll get to a screen that says, “Who do you want your adverts to reach?” This is where you can target based on:

Location – target areas where people can buy your products or are already buying your products.

Age – don’t assume you know how old your best customers are. If possible, take a survey of the customers you have now – you might be surprised.

Gender – again, don’t assume. You might think your best prospects are male, yet it could be you can get a better response from females because no one else in your niche is targeting them.

Detailed targeting – this is where the power of Facebook advertising comes from, and we’ll go into more detail below.

Detailed targeting

There are four different categories under detailed targeting:

“Interests” – This is the most powerful option when entering a new market and the place where you should start. You can choose to target people based on their interests, which may include things people share on their timelines, apps they use, pages they like and other activities on and off of Facebook.

“Behaviors and Demographics” – In some cases, depending on your market, they can be very useful. Most of this is based on third party data, and Facebook is trying to match their users with this third party data. This is why it’s not going to be as accurate as targeting interests.

“Custom Audiences” – These are people you’ve already been in touch with. For example, you have their email addresses and you’ve uploaded the data to Facebook, or it’s a list of people who visited your website, or people who interacted with your app, etc. This is useful for retargeting people you’ve already been in touch with, which is why you won’t be using this when you first get started.

“Lookalike Audiences” – This is a way to reach new people who are likely to be interested in your business because they’re similar to your current customers. You can base your lookalike audience on things like data custom audience, conversion tracking pixel, website custom audience and so forth.

In the beginning, you’ll want to just focus on “Interests” and save the other three for later.

Research

When it comes to targeting, research is your best friend and it’s worth your time and effort.

If you don’t learn about your target market, then you’ll never know where to find them. And that’s what your mission is going to be, is to find out where they’re ‘hiding’ within the Facebook platform.

It all comes down to specificity and being able to find the avid members of your market – the people who don’t just like your niche but LOVE it and spend money in it.

“But no one else would”

So how do you find the avid members of a market? By using the “But no one else would” trick.

For example, let’s say your niche is tennis. There are some very famous tennis players that everyone has heard of. There are tennis players that some people have heard of, and others haven’t. But only an AVID tennis fan would have heard about the more obscure players.

If you’re targeting avid tennis fans, then targeting by using the name of an obscure tennis pro will get you only avid tennis fans.

Crazy but true. This trick works so well, you can use it in almost any niche.

Everyone has heard of yoga.

Some people have heard of certain well-known types of yoga.

But if you target an obscure form of yoga that only avid yogi’s would have heard of, then you’ll have the market you’re looking for, and so on.

Think about the ‘who’ or the ‘what’ of your market, that only the most enthusiastic people in your market would know about. That’s a great interest to target. And each market can have several of these, too, not just one.

Questions to ask

Here are a list of questions that you can ask yourself concerning your campaign that I got from Digital Marketer Lab.

Keep in mind that you are asking these questions not for your business in general, but specifically for this one campaign that you are doing, this one lead magnet that you are giving away, and this one audience you are targeting.

Questions:

Who are the authority figures, leaders or big brands in your niche?

What books or magazines or newspapers does your ideal customer read?

What websites do they frequent?

Where do they live?

What events do they attend?

What tools do they use?

What is specifically unique about this group?

Make a list for each one, focusing on the areas most specific to your group. In other words, if your market is fly fishing, then general sporting goods stores are far too broad, while a fly fishing magazine could be perfect.

You can do a Google search for each one, such as “Top fly fishers,” “Top fly fishing websites” “Top fly fishing organizations” and so forth.

Other research ideas:

Audience insights from Facebook – This lets you find other pages related to your interest, gives demographic data and so forth.

Forums – See what people are asking, their reading level and how they talk. You’ll learn how they speak, the keywords and slang they use and more.

Buzzsumo – Enter keywords and find out what articles have been shared the most.

Amazon – Research books and products in your market, read the reviews and find out how they speak and what they think.

As you can see, research is really important for finding the right people for your audience. If you get this wrong, then the rest of it doesn’t matter.

But if you get it right, you can create a campaign that will pay you for months, years and maybe even as long as you care to run it.

So now you know who to target, you’ve got your ad, your lead magnet and your squeeze page.

Now it’s just a matter of starting your first campaign, monitoring your results and making any changes along the way that you might need.

To set up your campaign, go to Facebook’s Business Manager. Or if you don’t know how to set it up, Facebook will show you exactly what to do here: https://business.facebook.com/

From there you can click on Ads Manager or Power Editor, and again Facebook is very good about showing you exactly what to do to start and run your campaigns.

If you run into anything that doesn’t immediately make sense to you (and it’s possible, the first time you run a campaign) then Google it.

Millions of people and businesses have run Facebook ad campaigns, so I can guarantee you it’s not rocket science.

You may or may not be successful the first time out. It’s entirely possible you’ll mess up and only get a handful of subscribers.

If this happens, don’t panic because it’s all part of the learning process. Remember, every niche and every lead magnet is going to be different. Figure out what went wrong and try again. The secret – as in so many things in life – is to get up one more time than you fall down, and you will be successful.

And by the way, plenty of people have literally made MILLIONS using Facebook ad campaigns. The trick is they learned all they could and then they dove in and made it work for them, just as you will.

Next month we’re going to cover how to make these campaigns self-liquidating, in that you are earning as much or more money than you are spending to build your list.

Once you’ve got this down, there is no limit to how fast you can build your lists of prospects AND buyers. And there’s no reason why you can’t be well on your way to a solid 5 or 6 figure income, either.

See you then!

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stoneevans · 7 years ago

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How to Get Super-Targeted Facebook Traffic on Demand

New Post has been published on https://www.home-business.com/how-to-get-super-targeted-facebook-traffic-on-demand/

How to Get Super-Targeted Facebook Traffic on Demand

This month we’re continuing our series on how to build your own business using a lead magnet, a squeeze page and Facebook.