#adding this to my list of peak media

[chainlxnk]

how goes the watching of School Spirits? how many times have you cried??

DUDUUE no becuase ik its been a few days LMAO!! but anyway yes i ifnished it and i FREAKED TF OUT BEACUSE JANET??? WYM JANET WYM SHE POSSESSSED HER ?? im so confused abt soem things here so im thinking i need to rewatch just to get shit straight but oh my god

and also a little off topic wally is so sweet i acc cried over him ngl how dare you

[twirlymarimo]

twirlymarimo's 2024 year-end zosan fic rec!

after a full orbit around the sun reading zosan fanfics, i decided to make a list of recommendations bringing light to these beautiful pieces of work, whether it made my heart hurt, made me laugh, or just simply hooked to the story. enjoy reading!

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

i would give you my heart, i think by fairv it's not finished but the first chapter is an absolute banger. multiple angsty trope in one - canonical character death, pining, miscommunication, friends to lovers, secret dating, what more could you ask for. i constantly find my self thinking about this story and i wish i was patient enough to wait for the finished work. this one deserves a lot more kudos!

homesick by summerofspock another mystery banger from summer! the vibe is twin peaks meets teen wolf and the premise is angsty but fluff is sprinkled here and there to keep our hearts stable.

insiduous by riotoftime and aevv the dynamic duo of the century that brought us tin lover is back with a new world to take over our minds with every update. their synchronized writing style reads like a book, just take a look at the world building in this one. the story is starting to pick up just like the intense dynamic between our two faves.

a heavy heart to carry by inkinmyheart i realized none of the first recs are finished, my bad but this one is! i typically avoid vampire aus because trauma from reading twilight but the concept here is interesting! i always enjoy ptsd sanji and the build up to the ending/reveal was satisfying.

the proposal by brunetta6 a well-written adaptation of the rom-com classic, the proposal. the accurate description of hokkaido brought me back down memory lane when i visited in 2023. hilarious dialogues with a tiny slice of angst makes a perfect pick-me-up read in the winter time.

lost myself when i caught sight of you by thecrownofclowns the sigh i let out after reading this. so hauntingly beautiful, like one of the fics that made me believe zosan is canon lol if this was a song, it would be a house in nebraska by our queen ethel cain

the knight shift by strawhatbougie inspired by THAT photo that circulated the internet, the author brought justice to what the audience wants - sanji in white fishnet leggings.

the mummy by greenyogurtelephant i love movie adaptations as you can see lol i read this on my e-reader in the summer and it was so hilarious, entertaining, and truly fits the essence of zosan. i would suggest to watch the actual movie either before or after reading the fic.

loose ends of the night by veto_power_over_clocks if you like pain like me, the first 4 chapters are all about miscommunication and wanting to smack both of these guys' heads and screaming at them the entire time. zoro POV too which is so rare these days but author delivered!

this post has been deleted. by evils if you love social media au but need it in a written format, this one is for you! a mix of comedy, fluff, and a slice of angst thru miscommunication.

seagrain by fruityumbrella ever thought about what would happen if sanji and zoro find out they've both done the one thing that make up their very core? "you know what, hell yeah," author fruityumbrella said.

thank you for reading if you made it this far! i have way more fics that i liked this year but i only got my account a couple of months ago so i couldn't track the ones i read earlier in the year. i also tried to feature ones that are not from well-known authors but i still had to give credit where it's due ;) thank you to all zosan writers for keeping my mental health stable (or maybe not for adding to my delusions about these two) <3

if you liked any of the fics above, please don't forget to give kudos, comment and bookmark! writers work so hard to give us amazing stories and they take so much time out of their schedules to do so.

if you're interested in more of my fic recs, you can check out my ao3 bookmarks here.

[wttcsms]

wttcsms wags blind bag, one shot collection ;

about poking fun at blind items & wanting to explore wag culture (and also looking for any reason to write about hot anime athletes), this fic collection's theme is inspired by/based off of... well, blind items about wags!

you're what i wanna love on, shugo meian

at the height of peak stardom, you're not just japan's pop princess — you're everyone's. with it comes controversy; your infamously short dresses, the late night parties you attend after every concert, your outrageously expensive concert tickets and merch, your racy performances that have concerned mothers going on social media saying you're a bad influence. adding to your list of typical pop star transgressions, you also have a hot, successful, wildly successful and just barely controversially older boyfriend!

but it would've been fun (if you could've been the one), tooru oikawa

from high school rivals to long-distance college sweethearts to perhaps the couple that got eloped way too early, it's no surprise that you and oikawa end up divorcing soon after getting married. while in your case it seems like love might be a losing game, you and oikawa both only play to win. when the olympics brings you two together once more, there's a good chance you two can reconcile and get your relationship back and better than it was before — or, go down with this sinking ship. with either outcome, at least you two are doing it together.

something to lose, shoyo hinata

heartbroken, jaded, and convinced that all men are garbage, you don't plan on anything happening when you're invited to an after party for a profession volleyball team in order to boost said team's publicity. you don't plan on making any friends or meaningful connections, and you certainly don't plan on getting the number of one of their star player's, shoyo hinata. then again, a lot of things don't go as planned when he's involved, and you don't expect yourself to be happy about these turns of event, but for once you are; happy, that is. and it's all his fault.

easy like sunday morning, wakatoshi ushijima

wakatoshi ushijima is notorious for his devotion to two things: volleyball and his family. during his post-game interview where he's been away from home for nearly two months, interviewers are asking him if he's excited to attend the rowdy after party to celebrate. ushijima's answer? he's taking a flight directly after this interview to head back home. he plans on celebrating the only way he knows how to: by finally being able to tuck in his sweet kids to bed, and then show his beloved wife how much he's missed her.

it's the same damn thing that made my heart surrender, koutarou bokuto

before he gets scouted by the msby black jackals and becomes one of japan's most famous athletes of all time, he's a struggling athlete trying his hardest to get a contract. during the off-season for recruiting, he decides to make some extra cash by using his looks and charms to become a contestant on a reality dating show, where he meets you: beautiful, intelligent, ambitious you, who is so clearly out of the league for anyone. you adore him, and you two have the strongest connection out of everyone on the show, so when he ends up picking someone who's not you, you're shocked. you don't know that he thinks he's doing you a favor because he believes he'll only ever hold you back. when the show invites you two for a reunion episode special, bokuto can only hope your feelings haven't changed.

burn out season, michael kaiser

what do you do when suffer a potential career-ending injury? hopefully not get diagnosed with depression, find out that because you devoted your whole life to your sport, you now have no sense of what to do without it, and then realize the only person who really Gets You is the only person who can irritate you like no one else does. hopefully you don't start to spend your newfound free time with him, and hopefully, you don't start to experience all the fun firsts in your life because of him and with him. or, maybe hopefully you do.

life could be a dream, yoichi isagi

getting together was no easy feat, and yoichi wants to show you how happy he is that you're his. he showers you with presents, shows you off at any given chance, always has a hand on the small of your back or around your waist. his possessive streak only grows when he finally slips that expensive engagement ring on your finger, and he shows you just how good married life is going to be for you.

i was supposed to sweat you out, michael beckenbauer

michael beckenbauer doesn't give a shit about japan, or the other subpar racers who have the nerve to get behind the wheel of the cars just to lose by a wide margin to him, or about how he's perceived by the media. he just wants to finish out this season, return home, and maybe find some worthy competition. he doesn't care if it's your job to try to brighten up his image; he never asked for a publicist, and in typical michael fashion, he's going to go out of his way to get you to quit. he has a bad tendency to underestimate his opponents, though, and off the track, you just might be his worthiest competition yet.

[cherrycola27]

Red, White, and Rooster

Series Warnings: Language, alcohol consumption. Frenemies to lovers, relationship of convenience. Political situations. Allegations of affairs, military and political inaccuracies. Eventual smut. 18+ Minors DNI. Banner Credit: @thedroneranger

Series Master List Previous Part Next Part

...........................................

Chapter 3: State of the Union

Sweat dripped from your brows as your fists made contact with the punching bag. You twisted and landed a kick to the left flank of it.

"I just don't get it Jay, how can someone who used to fly multimillion dollar aircrafts be so stupid sometimes?" You huffed out. You took a step back from the bag and took a long sip of water.

"Maybe all those years of inhaling jet fuel killed a few brain cells." Jaycee joked back with you.

"I mean, one minute he's doing good, everything is sunshine and rainbows, and then the next, he is a giant bone head and taking shirtless jogs around the grounds for fun. Do you know how long it took me to get all those paparazzi photos tracked down?" You sigh as you lean forward to stretch.

"You're lucky I love you and was able to stop Amber from publishing that thirst trap online." Jaycee laughs.

"I know. I owe you one." You grin at her. "You owe me several. But I am cashing in on one tonight. I can't believe I get to cover the State of the Union in person!" She squeals. You laugh at her. "Remember, you're their to work, not to oogle the vice president the whole time." You joke with her.

With Jaycee being your best friend and a member of the media, she'd been able to come to the White House several times. After a few visits, you couldn't help but notice the crush she had developed on Jake.

"You're no better than me!" She tells you as you grab your things to hit the showers.

"I do no oogle Jake." You shoot back. "No, but I've seen the way you look at Bradley." She accuses you. "I'm his Chief of Staff. It's literally my job to look at him." You defend yourself.

"I've also seen the way he looks at you. That man is constantly giving you puppy dog eyes. He's got it bad for you." Jay continues.

"He does—" You pause before lowering your voice. "The president does not give me puppy dog eyes or have it bad for me," you whisper to her.

"Sure, Jan." Jaycee mocks you in her best Marsha Brady impression.

You roll your eyes at her before hitting the showers. You let the hot water ease your sore muscles. You relaxed as it flowed over you. Kickboxing with Jaycee had become your form of stress relief when dealings at the White House got to be too much or when you needed escape. This shower was going to be your last moment of peace until tomorrow.

Tonight, Bradley was giving his first State of the Union address, and you were nervous, to say the least.

He'd been getting on your nerves lately. Choosing not to listen to you like he once did or brushing you off. But the moment he needed something that only you could handle, he'd come crawling back to you. He'd apologize for being an ass, He'd beg for your forgiveness, you'd fix the problem, and the cycle would start again.

You stepped out the shower and got dressed. You said goodbye to Jay and made sure she had her credentials for tonight. You then hopped in your car and drove back to the belly of the beast.

............................

You looked at yourself in the floor-length mirror of your room. Tonight, you were wearing a strapless cocktail gown. It was black with white geometric blocking on the sides. The bodice had a tasteful plunge with a small black mesh insert to keep it classy. The top of the dress swooped into two white peaks that accentuated your neck.

It was a beautiful dress, but try as you might, you couldn't get it zipped up all the way. You would worry about that after you put on the finishing touches of your outfit.

You took a deep breath and looked at your reflection.

You had your hair in its signature low bun. Your makeup was soft, but red lipstick added a touch of glam. You fastened your tennis bracket and reacted for the oval cut earrings Bradley had gifted you.

You had just fastened the back on the second one when you caught sight of him in your mirror.

"You used to knock. What if I had been changing?" You teased him as he stepped in with his tie in his hand.

"Your door would have been locked if you were." He shrugged. You opened your mouth to say something smart back, but he wasn't wrong.

"Well, I'm glad you're here. Can you zip me?" You ask, turning towards him. Bradley paused for a moment. He looked over the expance of your back that was visible to him. Your dress was almost zipped, save for the last few inches. He glanced at the exposed skin. His breath caught when he saw the tiniest bit of your lacy bra that was barely visible to him.

He cleared his throat before quickly zipping you up and stepping away.

"Thank you—sir." You teased him.

Son of a bitch, he thought. If only you knew what you were doing to him right now. That dress had his mind racing, especially because he wanted to know what the rest of what you had on under it looked like. Or what it would look like on the floor of his bedroom. Or what you would look like laid out in his sheets with your hair a mess and your makeup smeared. He could feel himself getting hard at the thought.

Shit! He needed to think about foreign policy or the frumpy old senators he was about to address. He could not go out there with a semi.

"Hello? Mr. President? What are you thinking about?" You break him out of his thoughts by snapping your fingers.

"Just running over my speech in my head again." He lied.

"Don't worry, you're going to be fine. Can you get my necklace, then I will fix your tie?" You gesture to the jewelry box.

Bradley quickly grabs it. His calloused fingertips brush over your soft skin as he hooks the clasp of the necklace he'd given you months ago. You thank him again before turning to knot his tie.

You have it secured in no time flat. You move to step away, but neither of you had noticed that Bradley's foot was on your dress. When you move, you lose your balance. His hands reach out and land on your hips, pulling you up right to steady you. You latch onto his forearms for balance. Your face is close to his as you catch your breath. His so close that if he leaned down a few more inches, he could kiss your perfect red pout. Both of you are frozen.

"Knock kno— am I interrupting something?" Jake trails off as he opens the door to your room. You and Bradley quickly shoot apart.

"No, nothing, everything is fine. See you down there." You brush by him as you quickly exit your room.

........................

From what you heard, Bradley's address went amazingly well. You didn't get to hear the end of it because you were whisked away to handle an emergency. Apparently, there was some unrest in the Pacific, and a foreign government was demanding American support to deal with a rouge group of pirates that had been terrorizing shipping lanes, but months ago, when the nation had tried to offer them assistance, they'd refused it. Now, they were demanding it and threatening to attack a Naval aircraft carrier that was stationed near their coast. Their government said they would have no issue with trying to overthrow the crew of the ship if the US didn't help them.

You sighed. You knew the Navy held a special place in Bradley and Jake's heart, and they would overreact to any threat against the Navy. You knew you would have to speak to Bradley and talk him off the edge when he heard the news. Even though he was the president, he couldn't just order the military to obliterate someone.

You left the conference room, and you could hear Bradley coming down the hall just as you went to find him. The rage in his voice carried down the hall. You needed to talk to him privately away from advisors and people with their own agendas.

"Bradley!" You yell as you chase after him. You need to talk to him. If he gets into that room before you, the testosterone of all of the men in there will take over, and he'll doing something that you know he will regret.

"Mr. President! Sir!" Damn him and his long legs. You kick off your heels and take after him. You poor Louboutins are left haphazardly in the hall as you sprint after him, still calling his name, but his tunnel vision has taken over. You sigh.

"ROOSTER!" You shout. He pauses and turns around slowly. In the entire time he's known you, you've never used his call sign.

"What, Y/N?" He sighs. "You need to calm down. You can't go in there like a bull in a china shop." You tell him breathlessly once you finally face him. You look up. He's a lot taller than you without your heels on.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do. I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own." He warns you in a low voice before turning away.

"That's where you're wrong. In situations like this, you do need me to tell you what to do. If I left you to your own devices, you'd be getting in an F-18 yourself right now. You're the president, the leader of the free world. I understand that you love the Navy, but you can't just go in there with guns blazing." You reason with him.

"You don't understand Y/N, I have friends on that carrier. They are more like family to me. I can't let anything bad happen to them." He pleads.

"I get that, Bradley. I do, but you need to take a breath and think." You remind him.

"No," he begins with a fire in his voice. "What I need to do, is get into that briefing room and talk to some people who actually know what they are doing. I don't need a woman who has never severed a day—" you cut off Bradley's rant with a harsh smack across his face. He catches your wrist before you can pull back all the way.

Anger thrums through your veins. "I don't need you to remind me of my gender. You hired me to help you and to keep you from making stupid decisions. I may not know as much as you about the military, but I know my politics." You grit out. His eye are wide as they bore into yours. You maintaine eye contact with him, not backing down.

"Next time you say speak to me, remember who you're talking to." You warn him before jerking your arm out of his grasp.

You both soften a bit. Bradley opens his mouth to speak, but doesn't get the chance to.

You can hear voices approaching. You finally had Bradley's attention. You couldn't risk losing it now.

In a moment of annoyance or stupidity, you're not sure which, you grab him by his arm and drag him with you into a nearby storage closet.

"What the fuck Y/N?" He scolds you as you lock the door and block him in.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere until you calm down and listen to me. You've been ignoring me until you really fuck something up lately, and I'm not letting you send us into the next World War!" You scream at him.

Bradley looks at you and can tell that you mean business. The sting in his cheek serves as a reminder. He swallows thickly before nodding his head and letting you speak.

Now, no one quite knows what was said in that closet. The only thing anyone is talking about right now, is what happened when some poor unsuspecting media internet who got lost looking for the bathroom found.

You had just unlocked the closet door when it flew open. The intern eyes went wide as he took in the scene before him. You were sweaty from chasing down Bradley and arguing with him. Your hair was askew, your makeup was smudged, and your feet were bare. Bradley's suit was wrinkled, and his face was flush. You knew exactly what the kid was thinking before he could say it.

Before you could defend yourself, you heard someone yell at the intern. His head snapped to the side at the same time yours did. It was more members of the media.

The first one caught sight of you and Bradley as you emerged from the closet. They pulled up their cameras and started taking pictures just as the questions started flying.

"Mr. President, are you having an affair with your Chief of Staff?"

"Ms. Wiseman, did you seduce the president to obtain your position?"

"Mr. President, does this mean previous allegations against you were true?"

In the flurry of questions and camera flashes, you see Jaycee, who was desperately trying to help you.

You panicked as you looked from her to Bradley. You couldn't let the media spin this narrative. You couldn't let them ruin your career over something that wasn't there. You knew no matter how hard you tried, you'd never be able to convince them that you weren't having an affair with Bradley. So, you said the first thing you could think of that you knew would save both of your asses.

You held your hand up to silence the press. You looped your arm through Bradley's. He looked at you confused, but you shot him a reassuring glance as if to say, 'Trust me.' He nodded.

"The president and I are not having an affair. We can't be. " You began with a steady voice that oozed confidence.

You paused as you watched the facea in front of you. Their eyes were trained on you, waiting for you to spin your tale.

"The president and I are not having an affair—because we are engaged." You drop the bomb. You feel Bradley tense up beside you, but he doesn't react. He knows he can't right now.

No matter how crazy the words that have just come out of your mouth are, he knows that they are going to save both of your jobs. His presidency would never survive a scandal like this, and you would never be able to work in Washington again.

Your words seem to satisfy the media because their questions shift.

"Ms. Wiseman, how long have you and the president been together?"

"Is this why we haven't seen him dating?"

"When do you plan on getting married?"

"Why did you feel the need to hide your relationship?"

They all continue to shout at you. Suddenly, Jaycee pushes her way to the front and whistles to silence them.

"Ms. Wiseman and President Bradshaw will be more than happy to answer any questions people might have. In fact, they are going to sit down with me tomorrow afternoon in an exclusive broadcast that will be live stream on the official Washington Post website at five pm." She tells the crowd.

That pacifies them as they dispurse to break the news, talking amongst themselves.

Jaycee turns to look at both of you. You open your mouth to speak, but she puts her hand up.

"I don't know, I don't care." She beings. "All I'm saying is that I bought the two of you sometime to get your stories straight before tomorrow."

You both thank her before she leaves. As she turns to walk away, she pauses. "Bradley." She calls to him. He looks at her. "One more thing, before we meet tomorrow, you'd better have a ring on her hand." She warns before exiting.

After Jaycee leaves, you don't give Bradley a chance to talk to you before you are bolting for the bathroom. You sling the door open and vomit into the toilet. The anxietyfunally catching up with you. You stand up and wash your hands and face. You step out, and he's waiting for you.

"What the fuck was that?" Bradley demands. "That was me, saving your ass yet again. Because in case you didn't know, if you go down, I go down with you, and I'd rather not lose everything I've worked for because you wouldn't listen to me!" You scream him as you poke his chest before walking away.

"Where are you going?" He chases after you. "Home to fabricate our love story!" You scream back. "And my ring size is an eight!" You yell before rounding the corner.

Bradley takes a deep breath before pulling out his phone. He quickly pulls up the contact he needs and types out a message. He has a favor he needs to cash in.

Well, shit really hit the fan in this chapter! Thanks for the love on this series.

Taglist: @daggerspare-standingby @thedroneranger @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @hecate-steps-on-me @roosterscock @roosterbruiser @roosterforme @seresinsbabe @startrekfangirl2233 @soulmates8 @xoxabs88xox @avengersfan25 @blackwidownat2814 @loveforaugust @mak-32 @cottagecori @amysteryspot @heyimmadisonn @princess76179 @bradshawseresinbabe @sunlightmurdock @lt-bradshaw @cassiemitchell @die-cunt @mj-l4 @shipinabluebottle @malindacath @violyn20 @imawkwardlysoc @books-for-summer @blackroseboulevard @recordblues @desert-fern @luckyladycreator2 @katieshook02 @samhapner6 @sebsxphia @roosters-girl @diorrfairy @je-suis-prest-rachel @chicomonks @mizzzpink @a-linabean @amklibrary @gretagerwigsmuse @jstarr86 @actuallyazriel @krismdavis

As always, likes are great, but comments and reblogs are golden!

[jojo-oliver]

How to tumblr for artists… my own version

A collection of things that have been working for me, but may not work for everyone

~~~ your posts ~~~

!!!reblog your own stuff!!! you need to reblog your own stuff, there is nothing morally wrong with reblogging your own stuff regularly. in fact, it is morally right to allow the chance for more people to see your artwork.

~~~ queue it!! ~~~ my queue is 500 posts strong. maybe don't try to make your queue hundreds of posts strong in the same day omg but like… once every month or two i'll go through my whole blog and just scroll and "add to drafts" to every one of my own posts i have. then i'll use the "mass post editor" to add content warning tags. and add to queue, and shuffle. and then I write down what the date was for when I last added my posts to be reblogged on queue. this is helped by turning on timestamps for posts in tumblr "dashboard preferences" settings.

queueing is necessary and life saving for me. It takes out so much work with decision fatigue and the anxiety around posting. It also guarantees that even if I suddenly need time off or away from my phone, I don't just disappear and lose all traction. It also breaks the instant-gratification cycle that you expect when you finish an artwork. It's hard to keep creating when you post something and, when you're expecting to get that gratification, you get none... If you queue your new artwork to come out at a later time, you've separated that expectation - with time. It hurts less and contributes to a more consistent gratification thing instead of peaks and troughs.

~~~ tag ya stuff ~~~ when you're making a new post, the first 20 tags are what gets put into the searchable tags. do not feel shame for using lots of tags. shame is the mind-killer. tags are hard. hard to know what to tag a post with. hard to remember the tags. so I found some ways to help myself. maybe they'll help you too. dedicate some time towards just figuring out what tags you want to use. i have a list in my phone notes that i add tags to and reference whenever i'm making a new post. i have the phone right beside the laptop while i'm tagging so that i can just look at it and scroll. tags are the only way for people to find your artwork, other than people manually coming to your blog because they saw you somewhere. there is no algorithm. posting without tags, until you have an established fanbase, is throwing something into the void.

When I'm doing tag research, I look at what people seem to use - when you put something in the search bar, tumblr recommends you some that have a higher following, typically. Looks like this on desktop:

if you like one tag, look at what other people who use that tag also tag their posts with. Observe and learn how this tag is used. search through a bunch of them and write them down.

here's what i got in my notes, for the specific kind of art I post and look for:

these tags are sort of specific to me and the kind of art I make. You'll want to research your own tags, but this is an example of how I keep them organized to make posting more effective. I generally only write down a tag when it's got more than 2k followers. You might be tempted to use the tags with millions of followers, but I've actually found those a lot less functional for small artists. If your stuff doesn't immediately get a bunch of notifications, you're drowned out and pushed to the bottom much faster. But the bigger tags are better than no tags, so I keep them if I can't think of anything else to tag something with.

~~~ post at the right times….? ~~~

fridays and saturdays is when I post fresh new things... usually. every website has it's own peak hours, and you can find those hours in many different online articles that try to sell you social media growth services. tumblr is unique in having later hours.

here's some random graph from google images:

please don't over think this. please don't let this consume the idea of when to post, preventing you from posting at all. it doesn't mean too much - if you post during very active hours, maybe your art would just be pushed down the feed faster. if you post at the end of hours, maybe everyone's going to sleep… if you post at inactive hours, maybe there's less 'competition'… if you post at the beginning of active hours, maybe that's just more time for your post to circulate for the day, if you have enough people reblogging it once it drops....

this also is in EST. So fuck the other time zones, I guess. I'm over here in europe knowing that the "best" time to post would be like 2-3am or something. It's like this for most english-speaking majority sites - higher traffic in north american time zones.

it's also worth mentioning that this is scattered as heck, compared to other social media sites. and it's not like, the activity times of your followers. it's not the best time to post for your niche. this is just tumblr, broadly. all of tumblr.

~~~ Plan ahead for annual dates ~~~

Your artwork will get more circulation if it's posted on a celebratory day. You could just put them on your calendar and if you're wondering what to make, look on the calendar for what's coming soon. For example, asexual awareness day, trans day of visibility, location-specific holidays, etc. Here's my phone notes thing with my own recorded annuals:

I got these dates from googling and reading different articles, but I find that I still miss dates, and then I add them for next year. If you know of some I missed, tell me and I'll add them please <3

~~~ reblog other people's stuff ~~~

tumblr is sorta about ecosystems. things get passed around within groups of people that are all following eachother. to enter this ecosystem, you must engage and reblog other people's stuff too.

if you reblog other artists' stuff, sometimes they'll come over and reblog your stuff too. sometimes they'll follow you back. this is called becoming a mutual. I'll search specific tags for the kinds of people I want to follow and the kind of art I like - those are listed in the screenshot of my tag note under "Tags for finding new people".

I see a lot of blogs out there that are very clean, posts are tagless, and are only for the artists' content. like scrolling through a portfolio. I imagine this is good for people who are migrating to tumblr but already have their own established fanbase from elsewhere.

you don't need to do reblog other people's stuff on your art blog, you can do this on a separate blog. but if the two don't look very closely correlated, it's hard to tell who you are when you're interacting. and hard to make sure people know that you are the same person as your art blog. and you gotta remember to promote yourself on your personal blog.

~~~ have an art tag ~~~

make your blog easy to search!

if i go to your blog, and you've written 'artist' or 'sometimes art' in your bio, i wanna see it… it make me so sad when i don't get to see it. i want to reblog it. please let me reblog it :(

to make a tag on your own blog searchable, you don't need to repost it to add a tag. you don't even need to reblog it. you can actually just go back to the original post and edit it to add your tag. I've seen post people just have their art tag be something like #(blogname)art . you can see my own in my tags image above. if it's very unique, then it'll work tumblr-wide. I think that's good, since the tumblr search function is really weird. Otherwise it should still work if it's not entirely unique, people just have to make sure they're searching specifically your blog to see only your stuff.

I like to have a link in my pinned post where people can click to have immediately searched for my art tag. Convenience is king. Keep in mind that most people are on mobile, and if something isn't immediately clickable, they often won't find it.

~~~ be consistent and be patient ~~~

!!!this time will pass anyway!!! how many notes you have is not correlated with how good you are as an artist. wanting to earn something from your art means you essentially have two jobs. two potentially full time jobs. this shit's difficult. most of the job is promoting yourself. don't undersell how hard it is to do… don't feel bad for not immediately succeeding. I would write about how hard it's been to promote myself, but it would just be long and sad I think.

This isn't a full guide, please feel free to add more!!

I'm sure in another year I'll disagree with a lot of this, it will become irrelevant with time, and I'll have a lot of different opinions. Chip in and share what you've been doing? Teach me? This is very overwhelming. Don't do it all at once, just like, try one thing at a time, and see how it works for you. Your niche might be different. One size does not fit all. If you're confused about some of the things I talk about in here, you might be on mobile. I do most of my queueing and posting from the desktop browser version.

I will update this with more as things change, but I think you'll have to click through to see the updated post

[saltsicklover]

Title: The First Official Letter - Fan Mail Pt. 3

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2900

Rating: T

Warnings: Depictions of blood, mentions of killing, angst, mentions of hangovers. Swearing. Soft Steve.

-- To be continued. I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list :) --

This story now contains a lesbian couple, OCs, and this is a PRO LGBTQIA+ Page. If you do not support or cannot be kind, you can kindly get the fuck off my page and get your free media somewhere else. NO TERFS, NO HOMOPHOBIA, NO HATE. Happy Pride Month!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bucky Barnes, or anything related to Marvel within this piece. Not Proof Read or BETA'd. All mistakes are my own.

I do not consent for my work to be edited, reposted, or translated.

You are responsible for your own media consumption. This is a work of fiction that may contain mature themes. If you are sensitive to those subjects, please do not read.

Maybe Bucky shouldn't have written at all. The thought swam around Bucky's mind for weeks. Since the moment he ran down to the mail room, the elevator taking much too long for his liking, and attempted to sweet talk the lady behind the desk. She did not allude to the fact that both Steve and Sam were hiding in her office.

Steve and Sam made it to the mail office the first thing the morning after the bar, Steve more or less dragging a very hungover Sam behind him. Steve insisted that he saw Bucky's letter in the 'Outgoing Mail' pile on the kitchen countertop when he got up to get a glass of water that night, but the pile was gone this morning. And if Steve knows Bucky like he thinks he does, and he does, the moment Bucky wakes up he is going to try and get that letter back. 

The boys made it to the mailroom with only a few moments to spare before Bucky came running down the hall. Steve only got a couple of words in before they both shoved into the small office, pushing their backs up against the door as to not be seen from the other side of the service window. 

"Hi, uhh, hello," Bucky  huffs a bit, a hand coming up to slick back his bangs from his forehead. "I mailed a letter, and I would like it back," The woman behind the window does her best not to snicker at his words, her eyes casting a quick glance over to the men currently hiding only a few feet from her. 

"I'm sorry sir, but once letters have been mailed they cannot be unmailed," She speaks, her eyes not leaving her computer. She worries that if she looks at him, she won't be able to keep from laughing at the whole situation. Working in the tower always comes with antics by the hands of the Avengers, but the trouble they get into is always a bit surprising.  

"Please, Miss," Bucky's eyes flash down to her nametag than quickly back up to her face, "Miss Brown, I really do need that letter back," 

"I am sorry, but I cannot release any mail once it makes it this far. Once it is in this office, it is stamped and sent on its way to the post office. You will, however, get it back if it is marked returned to sender," Miss Brown finally looks at him, biting her tongue a bit to keep her composure. 

"Are you absolutely sure there is nothing I can do?" Bucky's tone boarders on begging now but he does his best to flash her his best puppy dog eyes, the same ones that used to get any girl he set his sights on. Steve elbows Sam hard in the ribs to subdue his snickering. 

"Excuse you, but I am old enough to be your mother, you better not be propositioning me, young man," Miss Brown scolds at him with a pointed finger and Sam has to clasp his hand over Steve's mouth to keep his laughter from giving them away. Tears peak at Sam's eyes as he fights to keep back his own roar of laughter. 

Bucky sulks away a moment later, and when he is out of sight Miss Brown turns to the two large men who have fallen to the floor with laughter, tears streaming down their faces. 

"And what are you two laughing so hard about?" She questions, looking down at them from her seat. The men try and regain composure, they really do, but each time they look at each other they burst into another fit of laughs. They aren't laughing at Bucky, of course not. They are laughing at just how precisely well Steve knows Bucky, and at the way Miss Brown was so quick to put Bucky right into his place. That was two weeks ago. 

Now, Bucky almost falls out of the elevator due to exhaustion. There is a thick layer of sweat holding caked mud onto his skin, the dirt already worked deep into the fabric of his tactical uniform. Chunky pieces of earth fall off his boots as he trudges through the main living area of the compound, leaving a trail behind him with each step. 

The mission went to hell in a handbasket. From the moment he stepped foot off the helicopter it seemed like everything was going wrong. Between jammed guns and twice as many Hydra goons as originally thought, Bucky was in over his head. "Leave no bodies" behind turned into a a trail; one that left Bucky feeling queasy and on edge from the moment he crawled back into the helicopter at the extraction point. He wasn't even fortunate enough to collect the data he was sent out to get, the whole operation came up dry. 

Agent Hill tried to assure him during his debrief that it wasn't a total loss- one less Hydra agent on the street meant the world was a little safer and with the amount of firepower that Bucky bestowed upon them, that sliver of the world is looking a lot safer. This knowledge did nothing to calm the stir of sickness that flows under Bucky's skin. The only thing that is keeping him going is the thought of the ice cold shower waiting for him at the end of it, so he continues to trudge past his friends in the kitchen. 

"Hey, Buck," Steve calls after his friend. Bucky doesn't stop moving towards his quarters. 

"Bucky!" Sam calls, shooting a glance Steve's way, confusion written over both of their features. 

Bucky wasn't going to stop, he really wasn't. The promise of cold water easing his muscles and the image of the blood and dirt running from his skin, swirling down the drain is too enticing, the thought itself cathartic, but Steve's words manage to have him halting mid-step. 

"You have mail, Buck," Steve's voice caries down the hall, "Its two letters, and they are pretty thick," Bucky turns now, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. 

"You look like hell," Sam mutters when Bucky rounds the corner into the kitchen. Bucky sends him a glair that could shake the heavens but doesn't say a word. 

"Here you go," Steve holds out two envelopes for Bucky, both stuffed full. Bucky doesn't waste a second before ripping into the top one, small tight script on the back reading "Open First". He takes the letter out of the envelope, his eyes drawing over the words quickly.

"Dear James- Bucky, Dear Bucky, I can't even begin to explain how happy I was when I came home to find your letter in my mailbox. I couldn't even contain my joy, if we are being honest. I'm not exactly sure how to go about writing to you now, even though I was the one who proposed being pen pals so I guess I am just going to ask you some questions and maybe you can answer them on your letter back? Only if you want to, of course. 

Is it possible to come off as nervous through written word? Because I am positively nervous. I feel like it may be silly to ask, but what do you do for work? I know you are an Avenger, but that means you have exciting stories, right?  What do you like to do when you have free time? Do you have a favorite song?

I guess I should tell you a little more about myself. After my grandparents were killed, I was moved into a house with a lovely couple. Jan, my Ma, is the sweetest woman. She loves to cook and bake. She used to sew my clothes when I was a kid, and she always made us matching outfits, for her, my Mom and I. My Mom, Dottie, is a mechanic. Her specialty is motorcycles. She and my Ma have been in a local club for longer than I have been alive. They do charity events and fundraiser drives. They are really wonderful. 

When I first came to live with them I really wasn't sure what my life was going to look like, but they took me in and loved me like I was their own. It really made a difference in my life and I couldn't be more thankful that I get to call them my family. After I got out of  high school, I went to a really fancy school to become a barber. The school was snobby and the people there took themselves way too seriously but I love my work. I work out of a little shop in Hell's Kitchen called "Sargent's English Traditional". We call the shop "The Set". It's quaint, really. 

Anyway, I sent along another envelope with this one, and it contains some bits and bobs to help you get to know me. I hope to hear from you soon, Bucky.

Warmest Regards-" 

Bucky can't help the smile that he wears as his eyes fall over the words. There is still a part of him that cant believe that someone is taking time out of their life to write to him. He tries not to dwell on that fact, a bit of excitement blooming in his stomach. 

"What's it say, pal?" Steve nudges Bucky's shoulder. 

"It seems my pen pal is a barber," Bucky smirks, "And they work in Hell's Kitchen," 

"What's the other envelope?" Sam asks, bringing his drink to his lips. Bucky turns his attention back to the other letter, a small, yellow, manilla envelope lined with bubble wrap, ripping it open carefully. He dumps the contents out on to the countertop. Bucky begins to flip everything face up, not looking at each piece too long before moving to the next. 

"What is all this stuff?" Steve inquires, leaning closer to the small collage of items on the table. He reaches forward and picks up a flattened coin, the face of the coin distorted and warped along with the metal. Sam picks up a different item, a set of three pearl buttons. He fingers them around his hand, looking at the delicate pearls from every angle. There are other items too, plants that were once pressed between pages of a book and a ticket stub from a local jazz show. There were pieces of paper with poetry written across them in small neat handwriting and clippings from magazines. 

Bucky didn't care about any of it, nor the list that was included that described each item and their meaning, he just didn't care. Instead, he reaches for the polaroid photo that peaks out of the discarded envelope, the corner still stuck on the tack strip that once held the letter closed. He holds it face down for a moment, the realization that there could be anything depicted on the other side sets his lungs ablaze. With a deep breath he tries to fan the fire that burns behind his ribs- he flips the photo. 

His action catches the attention of Sam and Steve, their eyes quickly jumping from the other objects to the photo that seems to be dwarfed by Bucky's large hand. Their eyes each map over the photo, taking in each individual detail. 

The black and white photograph contains a large brick building, the photo taken from street view. There are plants on the front stoop and clothing lines hanging from windows that string out of frame. There is a caption written on the bottom in red pen, one simple word accented with a heart, "home". 

Both Steve and Bucky come to a stop, their eyes locked on the photograph. Bucky's senses are overtaken by the sweat that seems to slick over his body in an instant, mixing with the grimes that is already stuck to his skin. He flashes hot then cold, a shiver running down his spine. 

He couldn't care less about the mission anymore, the lives he had to take or the blood that is buried deep under his fingernails. He doesn't care about how he almost fell out of the elevator or about the cold shower he swore he would stand in until he lost track of time. All that matters now is this, the photo in his hand and the sender that made this moment happen. 

Sam looks back and fourth between the two, reading a sort of sick nostalgia written across both men's faces. 

"What exactly are we looking at?" Sam asks, his voice low. 

"Home," Bucky and Steve both whisper, eyes coming up to meet each other. 

"That's where we used to live, right before I got shipped out," Bucky's voice is no louder than a whisper and it wavers a bit with each word. 

"You technically didn't live there," Steve interjects, his voice only a hair louder than his friends. "You still lived with your Ma and your sisters. It was my place, but he was there so often we were basically roommates." 

Sam acknowledges Steve, listening to his story but Bucky can't seem to take his eyes off of the brick building. He never thought he would see it again, usually avoiding it when he is in that part of town. It was a part of his story he wasn't ready to revisit. He has seen his family home and other important places from before the war, but this building was not a place he was ready to bring into the twenty first century. 

Maybe he wanted to leave the memories preserved. If he didn't go back, the bubble of time would exist in his brain and everything would be left untouched. He liked it that way. A part of his life he deemed perfect, untouched by the claws of Hydra. If he left it there, pristine and sparkling, it would live on that way forever. 

But here it is, encapsulated in black and white, staring back at him. Maybe a part of him knew he wouldn't be able to escape it, the knowledge that it would change with time, just like he did, just like everything. 

"Buck, you might want to look at this," Steve holds out a piece of paper, the list and descriptions of the items in the envelope. Bucky takes it with a shaky hand. He rakes his eyes down the list, looking for a description for the photo. He finds it under number seven. 

"This is my building in Brooklyn! I think it's a beautiful piece of architecture and I just wanted to share! My Ma helped me find it in an old school newspaper ad. I have lived here for two years now and has been wonderful! The windows are original and they have a habit of getting stuck to prove it. The woodwork is original too, there is even a height tracker that was kept in one of the closets, the pencil marks and initials are still there! SR, JR, SGR, and JBB. I hope they were happy here." 

"Do you really think that could be possible?" Steve asks, his eyes on his best friend. 

"At this point, I am willing to believe anything," Bucky answers back. It's like they can communicate in half thoughts, leaving out the meat of the conversation, instead communicating it in a way that only they know.

"Does someone want to fill me in here?" Sam questions, trying to read the paper upside down. 

"Bucky's pen pal lives in the building I grew up in with my parents, and by the description, they might even live in my old apartment." Steve explains. Bucky looks up but doesn't reach either mans eyes. 

"Just when I thought this couldn't get more interesting," Sam whispers, more to the room than to his friends. They stand there for awhile, silence enveloping them like a heap of fresh snow. Sam and Steve shared glances, not sure how to best support their friend. 

After a little while, Sam pulls the photo and the paper from Bucky's hands, setting them on the table. Steve takes Bucky by the arm and walks him to his quarters, whispering in words that Sam can't quite hear.  Sam collects the mail, putting all of the trinkets back into their original place before setting them back down. 

Steve brings Bucky to the bathroom, helping him strip of his tactical gear. He brushes hair from his forehead attempting to keep the blood soaked strands out of his face. He turns the shower on, warmer than Bucky would have done himself, if he could have, but he gets into the shower anyway. Steve stands with his back against the closed bathroom door, his shoulders square, jaw set. 

He is swimming in his own feelings but he pushes past the waves instead standing guard for Bucky, keeping the demons of his past at bay while the other man roughly scrubs away the mission from his skin. The dirt, the blood, the remains of his perfect fucking memory. Bucky scrubs his skin raw until its red and weeping. 

Bucky lets out a sob, one he barely seems to notice and one Steve definitely doesn't comment on. When Bucky finally draws back the curtain, his face is swollen, tears hidden behind the water that drips from the ends of his now clean hair. The men do not speak, instead Steve lets Bucky pass. 

He is off to write a letter. He is sure this time around, no room for maybe. 

TAG LIST 

@vicmc624 @cjand10 @songoficecreamandfireworks @crazymusicgirl104

[adarkrainbow]

Lost media quest: H&G Epic Tales (part 4)

After introducing the topic and compiling all the information I could find, I want to share here more visual elements and concept art I managed to collect throughout my (I hoped thorough) researches.

Last time, I stopped while exploring the Muchtar Productions website. As I said, David Muchtar posted on his website an important set of concept art for the character design. Here they are:

I linked in my previous post the Anikey Animation official page for Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales. It contains a lot of beautiful screenshots preserved from the lost storybook - plus one concept art.

Now, while the Anikey animation website is the one that pops up first in research, Anikey Studios also had a blogspot in which they posted quite a LOT of visual files for the interactive storybook!

For example this post was a collection of backgrounds created by two of the team's artists: Paco Vink for the lay-outs and rough colors, Sjan Weijers for the "final color rendering".

There is also this post which was a "sneak-peak" of the upcoming Epic Tales product, and which contains not only some rare shots but also an unseen concept art for Silvertongue the dwarf!

Another interesting post is this one, that shares concept art for what was then an "unnamed fantasy project" - but in truth was the "Hansel and Gretel" prototype. (Each concept is respectively named Troll - Kids - Dwarf)

Finally, the blog contains a post about the release of the app's trailer - and it lists the various blogspots of the five main people who worked on the piece: David Muchtar (now it isn't a blogspot but a Vimeo account), Jelle Brunt (jellebrunt.blogspot.com), Sjan Weijers (amphibiousrodent.blogspot.com), Ruban Zaalberg (urbyz.blogspot.com), and Paul (the link actually only brings back to the Epic Tales website). Adding Paco Vink's blog listed previous (pacovink.blogspot.com) it makes six links in total. Most if not all of them being dead...

I still had them undergo the Wayback Machine treatment, but I could bring nothing new.

Next part in my quest: all the answers I received to my mails! Or... the absence of them in the worst case scenario...

[art-of-manliness]

Podcast #885: The Essential Habits for Becoming an Agile, Vital, and Durable Human Being

Note: This is a rebroadcast. Kelly Starrett, a doctor of physical therapy, has trained professional athletes, Olympians, and military special operators, helping them unlock peak performance. But as he approached his fifties, he started to see cracks appearing in the health of the folks around him. What had worked for his peers in their 20s and 30s, wasn’t working anymore; they were gaining weight, having surgeries, and just didn’t feel good. So he and his wife and fellow trainer, Juliet, decided to write a book — Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully — that took all that they’ve learned from training elite performers and distilled it into the foundational practices that everyone, at every age, can use to develop lasting mobility, durability, and all-around health. Today on the show, Kelly unpacks some of those essential physical habits, sharing the “vital signs” — tests that will help you assess how you’re doing in that area — as well as daily practices that will help you strengthen and improve that capacity. Resources Related to the Podcast * Kelly’s previous appearance on the AoM podcast — Episode #213: Undoing the Damage of Chronic Sitting * AoM article on the Sitting-Rising Test * AoM Article: 7 Simple Exercises That Undo the Damage of Sitting (including the Couch Stretch) * AoM article on foam rolling * AoM Article: The Benefits of Hanging for Strength and Mobility * AoM Article: 12 Balance Exercises You Can Do on a 2×4 * AoM Podcast #638: How Changing Your Breathing Can Change Your Life * AoM Podcast #678: Physical Benchmarks Every Man Should Meet, At Every Age * Muscles and Meridians: The Manipulation of Shape by Phillip Beach * Video of Kelly demonstrating the Couch Stretch * Video of Kelly demonstrating the squat test * Video of 90/90 sit/stretch * Video of Chris Hinshaw demonstrating the Old Man Balance Test * Get yourself a pull-up bar * The SlackBlock * Kelly’s article on fixing shoulder pain, including a video on the Shoulder Spin-Up Connect With Kelly Starrett * The Ready State website, including the Built to Move book page * The Ready State on IG * Kelly on Twitter Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!) Listen to the episode on a separate page. Download this episode. Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice. Listen ad-free on Stitcher Premium; get a free month when you use code “manliness” at checkout. Podcast Sponsors Click here to see a full list of our podcast sponsors. Read the Transcript Brett McKay: Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of The Art of Manliness podcast. Kelly Starrett, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, has trained professional athletes, Olympians and military special operators, helping them unlock peak performance. But as he approached his 50s, he started to see cracks appearing in the health of the folks around him. What had worked for his peers in their 20s and 30s wasn’t working anymore. They were gaining weight, having surgeries, and just didn’t feel good. So he and his wife and fellow trainer, Juliet, decided to write a book Built to Move: The Ten Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. They took all they’ve learned from training elite performers and distilled it into the foundational practices that everyone at every age can use to develop lasting mobility, durability, and all around health. Today on the show, Kelly unpacks some of those essential physical habits, sharing the vital signs, test that will help you assess how you’re doing in that area, as well as daily practices that will help you strengthen and improve that capacity. After the show’s over, check out our show notes at aom.is/builttomove. Alright, Kelly Starrett, welcome back to the show. Kelly Starrett: It is great to be here, my friend. Brett McKay: So you’ve spent your career helping professional athletes, members of the military achieve elite performance, and I think a lot of… http://dlvr.it/T9wNcn

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS, RESOURCES AND STUDIES, EARLY JULY 2023

As expected when I posted the recent Etsy and SEO news update in June, I didn't get much time during my road trip to work on the other portion. So here it is, covering ecommerce sites, social media, content marketing and lots of other things small and microbusinesses might need to know.

I've also updated my Tumblr theme to make it easier to read and more accessible overall. Please let me know what you think!

Finally, the next update will be out in a few weeks, and will contain everything together in one post again. If you don't want to wait for it, follow me on Twitter or on LinkedIn for more timely news.

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

You can now pay for a verified Meta account, and unlike Twitter, they actually verify your ID. 

Speaking of Twitter, Meta’s copycat app Threads took off rapidly, hitting over 100 million signups in the first week. 

If you have a Facebook or Instagram Shop, note that many countries will need to use Meta’s checkout as of April 24 2023.  While the US is one of those countries, the following places will not have to change anything at this moment: “Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K. and Ukraine”.

Wonder how Facebook ranks posts these days? Search Engine Land covered the topic for you. 

Meta is pulling all news content in Canada after a new law passed that makes platforms pay media sources for their content. Google followed. 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn recently changed its algorithm, and is giving more weight to people you follow, and to “knowledge and advice”.

Make sure you are using LinkedIn content analytics to see how your posts are performing. The company released some tips on how to get more views and interaction on your ads and posts. 

Pinterest

Pinterest is introducing Amazon ads that lead directly to Amazon so browsers can buy there. This is expected to take a few years to fully roll out. 

The Shuffles feature is particularly popular with Generation Z women. 

Reddit

Yes, you can use Reddit to promote your business, but it is tricky. “It’s perfectly fine to be a Redditor with a website; it’s not okay to be a website with a Reddit account.”

TikTok

TikTok is selling its own products through the app, called “Trendy Beat", although this is only happening in the UK so far. The items seemed to be based on trending videos. 

TIkTok is the latest to test searching by image, in its Shop feature. 

Twitter

The Twitter algorithm now promotes Elon Musk’s tweets above all others. Yes, really. 

YouTube

YouTube ended Stories on June 26, but plans on doing more with Shorts in the future. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS (minus social media)

General

Handmade alternative marketplace Artisans Cooperative has settled on its organisational structure now that they are moving forward with incorporating the co-op, and enrolling new members. Check their blog for all announcements on their plans. 

A new California initiative involves both ecommerce and brick and mortar businesses to help track down stolen items. Each site agrees to “assign staff and tools—dedicate webpage, online portal, or point of contact—to address concerns of theft that come in from retails or law enforcement, and to monitor listings “to affirmatively prevent and detect” organized crime.”

50% of online shopping trips start at Amazon, amazingly enough. Google comes in second. After peaking last year, TikTok’s share of product searches has dropped. 

Many merchants are reconsidering their return policies, and even free shipping. 

Amazon

Some Amazon sellers had huge issues with verifying their information to comply with the INFORM Act. The deadline for completing verification was July 7, after which Amazon will place a hold on all payments. 

Amazon will now charge US buyers for returns to UPS stores. 

Many backpacks made for adults were removed from Amazon automatically, and sellers were told they needed to show proof the packs had met children’s safety standards. 

BigCommerce

BigCommerce has followed Shopify in raising fees for the same amount, although existing users didn’t see the increase until June 1. As with Shopify, site owners can keep their current rate by opting for the annual package. 

eBay

If you are worried about eBay showing your home address to prospective buyers (due to the INFORM Act), you can apply for an exception. 

Ebay international shipping is available to US-based stores now, but there are a lot of complaints. Other recent eBay announcements and plans are discussed here in coverage of the summer Seller Update. 

Sales on eBay continue to drop, as do buyers. Here’s coverage of the 4th quarter report written for sellers, and the 1st quarter 2023.

eBay is now offering Canadian collectible sellers a new “Expedited Lite” Canada Post rate that costs as little as $5.85 to send 200 grams from Toronto to Yellowknife. Tracking and $100 insurance are included. [Attention other platforms - Canadians need these cheap rates!]

Poshmark

Poshmark now operates in the United Kingdom. 

Poshmark joined the vast majority of large ecommerce sites in the past year by laying off employees, although the reported numbers were just 2% of the workforce. 

Shopify 

After making big moves to enter the fulfillment market, Shopify sold off the logistics network to Flexport, which it will continue to work with, as well as owning 13% of Flexport’s stock. 

Shopify is resisting a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) request for 6 years of tax records for 121,000 stores. Note that the CRA must get a judge to approve such a request, which they filed for in April 2023. 

Shopify managed to beat the market estimates for the 4th quarter 2022, but predicts growth will continue to slow

There are ways to make your Shopify site more accessible for various disabilities; for some larger merchants, this is a legal requirement.

All Other Marketplaces

Bonanza is trying to improve its shipping label options, with the first step being decreasing the cost of USPS labels. It also now has a synced eBay importer, and is expanding its loan program to more sellers. 

Michael's has finally opened its maker supply online marketplace to third-party sellers. While this initial group of merchants was invited, the company is now accepting applications from experienced ecommerce merchants. Fees are a flat 15% commission, so no monthly subscriptions, listing fees or even payment processing fees (apparently). There is also a Shipstation integration. This could be a good channel for high-volume supply sellers who make/design their own products, especially if they work in a niche Michael’s doesn’t already service. Note that their makers website that would compete directly with Etsy is now taking a waitlist. 

Kohl’s opened a third-party marketplace, which includes their loyalty program benefits for buyers. 

All Other Website Builders

Squarespace bought Google Domains, but Google is still a domain registrar, and this should not affect your Google rankings. 

Payment Processing

Apple is very late to the buy-now-pay-later game, introducing Apple Pay Later for some users. 

Shipping

There is a UPS strike looming; the union contract expires August 1. This could not only affect businesses who ship products via UPS, but also those of us who order supplies etc. 

Also note that the port workers in British Columbia are on strike as of July 1. “Analysts have said a strike could have a significant impact on worldwide shipping and the Canadian economy. According to the Maritime Employers Association's website, its members contribute $2.7 billion to the national GDP and handled roughly 16 per cent of Canada's total traded goods worth $180 billion in 2020.”

Chinese ecommerce businesses could lose their US tariff exemption, which allows companies in China to ship to the US cheaply. The bill is not yet law. 

USPS raised stamp prices and combined several services into the new USPS Ground Advantage plan, as of July 9.

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Is your small business making some common content marketing mistakes? 5 frequent errors and their solutions. 

Email welcome pages are a good way to increase sales from your list. “Imagine a shopper subscribes and is sent immediately to a page that, first, shares the discount code and, second, includes a short (30-second) welcome video that explains how to apply the code — without having to check email.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING (NOT SOCIAL MEDIA OR ECOMMERCE SITES)

Advertising through “retail media” (such as Amazon) will probably be greater than television ad revenue by 2028. “Retailers from Amazon, Walmart and Target to grocers such as Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize, Tesco and Sainsbury's are working aggressively to attract big advertisers to their websites” which could constitute more than 15% of all advertising spend by 2028.

Google’s Merchant Center will be getting easier to use next year, with the introduction of Merchant Center Next. Looks like complicated product feeds will be a thing of the past. 

Google Ads users are encouraged to import the conversion info from Google Analytics 4, to potentially improve ad performance. 

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Many sites are incorrectly reporting visits as direct when they actually come from sources such as social media; here’s a study showing how that can break down. 

Google’s latest instructions for migrating from Google’s Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 even includes videos. If you don’t like Google’s explanation, here is another good tutorial [video and transcript] And here is a detailed outline of how to track organic search traffic in GA4, and how to set up site search.  Don’t worry if you haven’t migrated your account yet - although it will not collect new data starting some time after July 1, 2023, Google will transition the account to GA4 for you, and will also let you download your old Universal Analytics data for the next year. If you didn’t update to GA4 yourself, you are in the majority of website owners. 

Once you do start with GA4, make sure to connect with the Search Console and activate reports. There are also some reports you cannot get with GA4, but this article explains what you can come close to replicating from the old version. 

You can now move all of your Google Search Console data into Google’s BigQuery, which is great for really large sites. If you struggle to digest the info provided by Google Search Console, then you might be interested in a few integrations to make things easier. Some are even free! 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

How to answer common buyer questions to make purchasing easier (and more likely!)

Generation Z (born from 1997 to 2012) uses social media differently than other age groups, and that affects how you can market to them. Check out the different values and behaviours they have as a group. 

Many sole proprietorships struggle with how to deal with demanding customers. Maybe you should fire them instead? [Twitter thread] Example: “Bad Clients are “un-leveragable”. You cannot

Learn from them

Use them as references

Earn a good margin to fuel your biz

Factor the intangibles when calculating your ROI. Not everything that counts can be counted.”

Consumers are always changing how they shop and buy; here’s some data from the end of last year, explaining that buying through social media is slowly growing, among other points. Also, “42% of consumers have chosen a product based on it being made by a small business in the last three months, up 8% from May 2022.” Hubspot also released more data on the social media angle of the research, giving reasons why some buyers are still hesitant. 

US ecommerce sales were up 3% in the first 3 months of 2023. The total was $272.6 billion.

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Need new icons for your website? Here are 20 free sets. 

And here are some free web design tools, although you should note many use AI. 

[thetruthlsoutthere]

Another Weird Things Update

Make of these what you will. I had screenshotted these awhile back but never uploaded them because i debated on if there was any worth doing so:

{mention of Clara yet again at the time i took this}

{one of the videos in the bottom half: i think that is pretty self-explanatory.}

{credit to them of course}

{credit to them of course}

{ the weeping angel: self explanatory but also: of the repetitive numbers and combinations that i get, i get 1's and 11's by themselves and with same numbers but added on. so 11: i saw this when i was 25 so that was last year, and after it had a six and i thought of that as i am going to be 26 next which i am now. Could that be significant, a coincidence or nothing? Any are possible of course. Maybe added on if it peaks someone is the wolf thing under my profile to the right hand side. I get a lot of Wolf stuff and even BAD WOLF before, not just on all forms of social media but even to a weird email once. Maybe i will post that too.

there was another two technically: a blog being shown in my recommended awhile back along with another related blog when it comes to someone this belief life has a center around and the blog had a message like title because i was calling/trying to reach out/connect with this person, the someone this belief life has a center around, not the blog owner themselves. And the first time, under THAT blog, was that other related blog about the same person.

The second photo was of the same first blog but with out the other. i always wonder and think of the possibilities after a logical explanation doesn't add up to make the weird thing happen, of course. I do not want to my hopes up of something being truth and it end up not being. I would never do that to anyone else either because that is cruel.

{don't know if i ever mentioned but among the 'normal' daily things i listed in the post i made: i do get the related blogs that wont go away with who they are about, messages in the title and tagline. They wont go away no matter how many times i refresh, even the constant number showing up of new posts on your dashboard being made, it will just not happen at all; and if they do go away, it takes awhile. YES, i am aware that this could be completely nothing weird either. I am just showing it for the possibility.

[jeromekoehler]

2025-01 Gear and Software Loadout

Happy New Year, all! Here is an update to my current setup (some have respective links to Amazon that help defray some of the hosting costs and get me more funding to purchase cool, new gear) for January. I am also including an AI generated image to see if it will improve over time and get better at generating images. If you all have any questions about the items below, please feel free to reach out as I am always glad to share my thoughts.

The changes plus the detailed hardware list are below:

Added:

Apple Passwords

Apple Notes

Drafts

Camera - Fujifilm X-M5

Speaker - Beats Pill

iPad - iPad Mini

Remote Control Application - Screens 5

Leuchtturm1917

Retroid Pocket Mini

Daily Carry Backpack - Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro X-Pac VX42

Removed:

Things

Physical Scanner - Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1300

Camera Backpack - Shimoda Explore V2 35

Open World RPG (PC) - Elden Ring

Board Game - Unsettled Board Game

macOS Applications

Task Manager - Reminders - I have fully moved to reminders as my task manager.

Text Editor - BBEdit

Terminal App - Terminal.app

Automation App - Hazel

Online Backup Service - Backblaze

Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS/iPadOS Applications

Podcast App - Castro

Camera App - Halide

Video Recording App - Kino

Object Scanning App - Scan Thing

Document Scanning App - Simple Scan

iOS/iPadOS/macOS Applications

Password Manager - Bitwarden + Apple Passwords

Package Tracking App - Parcel

Calendar App - Calendar.app

Recipe Manager - Mela

RSS Reader - The New Reeder

Read Later Application - Goodlinks

Email Application - Mail.app

Note-Taking App - Tot, Apple Notes, Drafts

Mastodon Application - Ivory

Social Media - Threads

Social Media - Bluesky

Mind-Mapping Software - Mind Node

Remote Control Application - Screens 5

Hardware

Keyboard - HHKB Studio

Dock - OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock

Laptop - 14" MacBook Pro

iPad - iPad Mini

3D Printer - Creality K1C

Watch - Apple Watch Series 10 Black Aluminum 46mm with Cellular

Phone - iPhone 16 Pro Max

Inkjet Printer - Epson 4850

Charger - Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Stand

Charger - Anker MagSafe Compatible MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger

Automation - Elgato Stream Deck Neo

Lighting - Elgato Key Light Neo

Game Capture - Elgato Game Capture Neo

Webcam with Smarts - Obsbot Tiny 2

Camera - Fujifilm X-M5

Audio Hardware

Microphone - Rode Podcaster White

Speaker - Beats Pill

Gaming

Emulator - Retroid Pocket 4 Pro

Emulator - Retroid Pocket Mini

Gaming with Friends - Helldivers 2

Universal Controller - 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller

Storage/Bags/Cases

Daily Carry Backpack - Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro X-Pac VX42

Travel Backpack - Peak Design Travel Backpack

Tech Pouch - Peak Design Tech Pouch

Stationary

Pen - Tactile Turn Pens

Pen - Leuchtturm1917

Kitchen/Cooking

Indoor Grill - Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill

Pressure Cooker - Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker

Convection Oven - Ninja Foodi Convection Oven

Coffee Maker - Fellow Aiden

Coffee Grinder - Baratza Fortè AP Coffee Grinder

MISC

Car Error Code Scan Tool - BlueDrive OBDII Scan Tool

Hosting Service - Hetzner

Universal Remote - Sofabaton Remote

Cell Service - US Mobile and T-Mobile - US Mobile is now just being used for my iPads. The family and I have moved back to T-Mobile as the seamless integration of international roaming and pricing was too good to give up.

[yamuna111]

How a Digital Marketing Agency in Tamil Nadu Can Help Boost Your Local Business

In today’s competitive business environment, having a solid online presence is essential for local businesses to stand out and attract customers. As the internet becomes the primary platform for discovery, partnering with a digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can be a game-changer for your local business. A digital marketing agency can help you optimize your online efforts, build a stronger brand presence, and grow your customer base in the local market.

In this blog, we’ll explore how a digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can help take your local business to the next level by providing effective digital marketing strategies tailored to your needs.

1. Improved Local SEO for Better Visibility

Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical component for any local business aiming to attract nearby customers. A digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can help you optimize your website and content for local searches, ensuring that your business shows up in Google’s local search results when potential customers search for services you offer in your area.

Why It Matters:

When customers search for products or services in their locality, your business needs to appear in the search results. Without effective local SEO strategies, your business risks getting lost in the sea of competition.

Actionable Tip:

Ensure that your business is listed on Google My Business, with accurate details like address, contact number, and business hours. A local digital marketing agency can optimize this listing to improve visibility in search results.

Real-World Example:

A local clothing store in Coimbatore saw a 35% increase in foot traffic after optimizing their Google My Business profile and using local SEO tactics to target “best clothing store in Coimbatore.”

2. Targeted Social Media Marketing to Engage Local Audiences

Social media is a powerful tool for building relationships with your local community. A digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can craft tailored social media campaigns that speak to your target audience’s interests, leading to higher engagement and brand loyalty.

Why It Matters:

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow you to directly interact with your local customers, share promotions, and create content that resonates with them. This fosters a deeper connection with your audience and encourages repeat business.

Actionable Tip:

Create location-based ads and posts to target customers in specific cities or regions of Tamil Nadu. A digital marketing agency can also help you schedule posts to align with peak engagement times for your audience.

Expert Quote:

“Social media is not just about posting; it’s about creating meaningful conversations with your customers. Effective local targeting can increase customer loyalty and drive sales.” – Digital Marketing Expert, Tamil Nadu

3. Building a Strong Online Reputation with Reviews and Testimonials

Customer reviews and testimonials are crucial for any local business. A digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can help you build and manage your online reputation by encouraging customers to leave positive reviews and testimonials on platforms like Google, Facebook, and other review sites.

Why It Matters:

Positive reviews are a powerful form of social proof that can influence potential customers’ purchasing decisions. A business with many positive reviews is more likely to be trusted by new customers.

Actionable Tip:

Request reviews from satisfied customers and use them strategically in your marketing efforts. A local digital marketing agency can help you manage and respond to reviews, enhancing your reputation.

Real-World Example:

A Coimbatore-based restaurant increased bookings by 50% after a campaign that encouraged customers to leave reviews. The restaurant also responded to reviews, demonstrating excellent customer service.

4. Effective Paid Advertising to Drive Local Traffic

If you’re looking to see quick results, paid advertising is an excellent strategy for driving local traffic to your business. A digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can create and manage pay-per-click (PPC) ads, social media ads, and other forms of digital advertising that target local customers in Tamil Nadu.

Why It Matters:

Paid advertising allows you to reach a specific audience quickly, making it easier to drive targeted traffic to your website or physical location. This strategy can complement your organic efforts and boost visibility.

Actionable Tip:

Use geo-targeting in your paid ads to ensure that only local customers see your advertisements. A digital marketing agency can help optimize your campaigns for maximum ROI.

Real-World Example:

A local hardware store in Salem generated a 20% increase in sales after launching a targeted Facebook Ads campaign, which focused on reaching customers within a 10-mile radius of the store.

5. Data-Driven Insights to Improve Your Marketing Strategy

A digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu uses data and analytics to continuously track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. By analyzing metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, and user behavior, they can make data-driven decisions to improve your strategies and deliver better results.

Why It Matters:

The beauty of digital marketing lies in its measurability. By regularly monitoring and analyzing data, a digital marketing agency can fine-tune your campaigns and ensure they’re yielding the best possible outcomes for your business.

Actionable Tip:

Make use of Google Analytics, social media insights, and other tracking tools to understand how your audience is interacting with your brand. A local agency can guide you through the process of setting up and interpreting this data.

Expert Quote:

“Data is the backbone of digital marketing. By constantly reviewing campaign performance, we ensure that your business gets the best results from its marketing budget.” – Analytics Expert, Digital Marketing Agency in Tamil Nadu

Conclusion

Partnering with a digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu can significantly boost your local business’s online presence. From local SEO optimization and targeted social media marketing to paid advertising and reputation management, these strategies can help you connect with local customers, drive traffic, and grow your business.

Ready to Boost Your Local Business?

If you're ready to take your local business to the next level, it's time to partner with a digital marketing agency in Tamil Nadu that understands the local market and can craft strategies that work for you. Contact us today to start driving more local traffic and improving your business’s visibility!

[seraphim-02]

How a Digital Marketing Strategy Can Double Your Roofing Leads

In today's competitive market, having a robust digital marketing strategy is essential for roofing companies looking to stand out, grow their client base, and ultimately increase their leads. A well-executed digital marketing plan can significantly improve visibility, build trust with potential customers, and generate consistent, high-quality leads. In this blog, we will explore how a strategic digital marketing approach can help roofing businesses double their leads and drive growth.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Roofing Websites

SEO is one of the most powerful tools for driving organic traffic to your roofing business website. By optimizing your website with relevant keywords such as "roofing services," "roof repair near me," or "best roofers in [your location]," you can ensure that your business appears in search engine results when potential customers are looking for roofing solutions.

Local SEO is especially important for roofing companies, as most customers are looking for contractors in their immediate area. By optimizing your Google My Business listing and focusing on location-based keywords, you can significantly improve your rankings in local search results, making it easier for customers to find you.

2. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

While SEO is a long-term strategy, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising can deliver immediate results. Platforms like Google Ads allow roofing companies to target specific keywords related to their services, ensuring that their ads appear when potential customers are actively searching for roofing services. With a well-targeted PPC campaign, you can drive highly qualified traffic to your website and generate leads quickly.

PPC also allows you to control your budget and adjust bids based on performance. For roofing companies, running ads during peak seasons or after storm events when people are more likely to need roofing repairs can maximize the return on your investment.

3. Social Media Marketing for Roofers

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are excellent tools for roofing businesses to engage with potential customers and showcase their work. By sharing high-quality photos of completed projects, customer testimonials, and educational content related to roofing, you can build trust with your audience and position your company as a leader in the industry.

Social media also offers paid advertising options, which can further amplify your reach. By targeting homeowners in your area or individuals who have shown interest in home improvement, you can increase your chances of generating leads from people who are actively looking for roofing services.

4. Content Marketing to Educate and Engage

Creating valuable content is an effective way to engage with your target audience and drive organic traffic to your website. Blog posts, videos, infographics, and FAQs are all great ways to address common roofing questions, provide helpful tips, and showcase your expertise.

By providing educational content about roofing maintenance, signs that a roof needs repair, or how to choose the right roofing material, you can attract visitors who are not yet ready to hire a roofer but are looking for information. This positions your business as a trusted resource and increases the likelihood that they will contact you when they need roofing services.

5. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Driving traffic to your website is important, but converting that traffic into leads is crucial. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) involves improving your website’s design, content, and user experience to increase the likelihood that visitors will take action, such as filling out a contact form, requesting a quote, or scheduling an appointment.

A well-optimized website with clear calls-to-action, a simple contact form, and easy navigation can significantly improve your lead generation efforts. By focusing on improving the user experience, you can turn more of your website visitors into paying customers.

Conclusion

A strong digital marketing strategy is essential for roofing companies looking to increase their leads and grow their business. By combining SEO, PPC, social media marketing, content marketing, and conversion rate optimization, roofing businesses can attract more qualified leads, build lasting relationships with customers, and ultimately double their leads.

If you're ready to take your roofing business to the next level, partnering with a digital marketing agency specializing in the roofing industry can help you implement these strategies effectively and start seeing results. For More Information Visit: https://seraphimconsulting.org/roofing-digital-marketing-agency-can-double-your-leads

[starberry-cupcake]

I've decided not to reply to things on this post because everyone's either assigning me fandoms at random (I should start making a list), making their own dissertations, complaining that I made this counterclockwise or adding their own takes (more or less related to what I actually said) BUT I'm going to reply to @diaspro-back-here because it was the other way around, actually.

Tumblr exported this behavior with the user migration that started taking place with the consistent restriction of adult content (which began slowly in 2013 and culminated with The Big Ban in 2018).

This thing I'm talking about, this switch I illustrated, happened somewhere in the early 2010s on tumblr, by 2013 we had already moved completely to the 2nd graphic situation. In my recollection, 2011 started to show some of the changes, they became more prominent in 2012 but 2013-2018 was absolute peak of this behavior.

After that period, after the migration, for a brief moment, some of the old Tumblr ecosystem started going back to its roots. There was a new rise of the shitposts and longing for the tumblr nostalgia of cringe days past, with blogs that would compile the Tumblr Classics. It was also after this time that lesser known tumblrinas became better known youtubers and started amassing views and making coin out of past "Tumblr cringe" they weren't even a part of. It was also after this time that Tumblr Famous Users of days past, who had disappeared or became infamous, started being interviewed in The New Republic or The New York Times. There were pieces of media that became popular in this brief period (2018-2021?) that were sure candidates of this cycle and only were cancelled retroactively because the mindset had become less intense when they became popular.

I don't have the compiled receipts to throw an anthropological study but I'm positive this was a "Tumblr Original" because I was always the only one in my friend group who used Tumblr consistently and, when I brought up something of this nature in conversation, people had become accustomed to dubbing it a "Tumblr" thing.

It became "the sjw site" in a pejorative sense to outsiders who had some notion of it and it was linked in people's heads with "exaggerated discourse". It leaked naturally into AO3 because most of the users were also Tumblr users but it started invading Twitter, in my opinion, as the migrations started happening. I have tons of particular memories of trying to get people from outside the Tumblr bubble to understand this dynamic, before it had leaked elsewhere (my favorite was when my bestie thought, for the longest time, that it had singlehandedly been the fault of the Tumblr Les Mis fandom post 2012 movie).

The thing is, Tumblr developed the craft but Twitter made it mainstream.

Even in the days when Tumblr was at its most popular, the way in which the userbase determined the behavior of the site made it a complicated (and sometimes hostile) environment for brands or Famous People to be in. Unless said people understood the tumblr behavior because they too had some things in common with it (for example, eternal tumblr survivor Neil Gaiman). So Tumblr was, even at its most popular, a pretty closed containment.

Twitter, on the other hand, was the platform in which Famous People were.

Taking this discourse and putting it in the front door of those who created the media in question was a step Tumblr only took when forced to do so (for example, when interviewers thought it was so funny to read fics or show fanart to the actors playing roles in these pieces of media, without anyone's consent).

Twitter took this behavior and put it in the orbit of not only people responsible for the media discussed but also in close reach of people who wrote articles for Serious Publications. So, the Tumblr Discourse of the past, that was argued among users alone, became mainstream news in Twitter.

So, yes Twitter made it worse, but it wasn't the one that brought it here, it is Certified Tumblr Original.

At some point in tumblr history, the tumblr cycle of hipster media consumption added a component of "mandatory moral value" to its justification for praising or hating anything, which has made it exhausting to come across countless displays of mental gymnastics to justify, morally and ethically, why liking or not liking whatever piece of media (or part of it) makes you essentially a good or a bad person.

The cycle was always there, but it went from this

to this

and sometimes I think we're past it and then I go to a tag and come across some manifesto that makes me feel like I'm in hell.

[dazzydeer]

The Benefits of Selling Vacant Land to Developers

Sell my vacant land to developers offers numerous advantages, particularly if your property is in a desirable location. Developers often pay competitive prices, as they recognize the potential for profitable projects like residential neighborhoods, commercial spaces, or mixed-use developments. This type of sale can be faster and smoother, as developers are usually well-versed in land transactions and may handle complexities like zoning changes or permits. Additionally, selling to developers can save you the time and effort of marketing to individual buyers. Developers also typically purchase land "as-is," meaning you won’t need to invest in costly improvements. By targeting developers, you can maximize the value of your vacant land while simplifying the selling process and contributing to community growth.

Why Sell My Vacant Land Can Be a Smart Financial Move?

Sell my vacant land offers a unique opportunity to generate income, especially if the property is unused or not generating any revenue. Whether the land is in a booming area or a rural location, selling it can free up resources for other investments. Many property owners in similar situations find that selling vacant land provides flexibility and eliminates ongoing expenses such as property taxes, maintenance, or insurance.

How to Determine the Value of Your Vacant Land Before Selling?

Pricing your land correctly is crucial to attracting buyers. Factors like location, zoning, access to utilities, and nearby amenities play a significant role in determining value. Researching recent sales of comparable properties or hiring a land appraiser can provide insights into the right price point. A clear understanding of your land’s value ensures you don’t undervalue or overprice it, maximizing your potential return.

The Benefits of Sell My Vacant Land in a Competitive Market

If you own vacant land in an area experiencing development or population growth, now may be the perfect time to sell. Competitive markets attract developers and buyers who are willing to pay premium prices. Highlighting the unique features of your land, such as proximity to transportation hubs or development-ready zoning, can help you stand out. Capitalizing on market demand ensures you sell your vacant land at its peak value.

Tips for Marketing Your Vacant Land to Attract Buyers

Marketing vacant land requires a different approach compared to selling a house. High-quality photos, detailed property descriptions, and highlighting key features like road access or scenic views can grab attention. Listing your land on online platforms like Zillow, LandWatch, or social media can reach a wider audience. Additionally, using keywords like "prime vacant land for sale" or "build-ready property" in your ads ensures they appear in search results.

Sell My Vacant Land to Developers: A Lucrative Opportunity

Developers are often the best buyers for vacant land, particularly in urban or suburban areas. They seek land for projects like housing, commercial spaces, or mixed-use developments, often paying competitive prices for properties that meet their needs. Selling to developers eliminates the need for costly upgrades and expedites the sales process, making it a win-win for landowners.

Legal and Tax Considerations When Sell My Vacant Land

Understanding the legal and tax implications is critical when selling your vacant land. Ensure the title is clear of any disputes or liens, and have all necessary documentation ready. Consult a tax professional to understand potential capital gains taxes and how to minimize them. Proper preparation avoids unexpected surprises and ensures a smooth transaction.

Preparing Your Vacant Land for a Quick Sale

First impressions matter, even for vacant land. Clearing debris, trimming vegetation, and clearly marking property boundaries can make the land more appealing to buyers. Providing easy access for potential buyers to view the property and having a professional land survey available can further enhance its attractiveness. A well-presented property is more likely to sell quickly and at a higher price.

Conclusion

Selling your vacant land doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By understanding its value, targeting the right buyers, and preparing the property effectively, you can secure a lucrative deal. Whether you choose to sell to developers, individual buyers, or through online platforms, the key is strategic planning. With proper research, marketing, and professional guidance, selling your vacant land can unlock its full potential, providing financial freedom and peace of mind.

[ijustwantedtobeoneofthestrokesuk]

MySpace Or Yours

Online

Who’d have predicted the rise in social media in the early 2000’s when your parents were searching for the ones that got away on Friends Reunited…? The boomers didn’t understand the power of the internet, Friends Reunited, which was launched in June 2000 never reached its potential.

3 years later MySpace came along, it was a phenomenon but even at its peak, it was still pretty niche. Those who were on it were obsessed with it and the platform is responsible (or at least influential) for pretty much every platform that has followed. It was for the creatives where people could upload selfies, create unique profiles, blog and decide who to put in their top 8 friends. 

Gemma Clarke (Babyshambles) “Oh my gosh MySpace! That was life back then! Top friends, music and background on your page… time wasted on that place haha!” 

The platform was created in 10 days by “MySpace Tom” (Tom Anderson) and Chris DeWolfe and it grew quickly. 

Tom Atkin (The Paddingtons) “MySpace kicked off where we all are now with social media. Social media has made it easier for bands to connect with fans” 

It had an area where friends could leave messages on your profile like Facebook’s ‘wall’ and update your ‘mood’, there was the ‘feed’ like Twitter and your photos were like your Instagram, which people could comment on, this was where you could slide into DMs first. It basically had every element of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram but on one platform and years ahead of everyone else but it faded away before smartphones really arrived.  

MySpace wasn’t just for people, bands could have their own profile, upload songs, build a fanbase, directly communicate with bands and announce releases/gigs, all for free. This was the first time bands didn’t need a label or a big budget to reach people. The barrier was being knocked down.

Gideon Conn “MySpace was great for communicating with fans, particularly between 2006 and 2008. They were big gigging years for me, I had support slots for Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and Jason Mraz. There were a lot of nice messages to respond to.” 

Laurie Wright “I uploaded songs to MySpace for my first band. I was 16 and getting 250 plays a day on my music and I felt famous. Proper cocky little shit I was.” 

Steev Burgess “The arrival of Myspace changed everything or at least added to everything though, because it was a good way of presenting a band and advertising an event without leafletting or hoping for a listing in the music press. 

Personally, it's where I learned to "get in" behind the screen and customise the page, colours in code, border types and sizes, and little add-on features. People said my Y Tuesday Club MySpace profile was like the club itself, complete with little features, such as the club's black cat wandering across the page from time to time, and window links to many of our performers. In some ways I mourn its passing.” 

Lily Allen is often heralded as the first artist to be discovered on MySpace however, looking back it’s probably not as organic as it seemed, she’d be labelled as an industry plant if that happened today. Lily, the daughter of actor Keith Allen had record labels and investment prior to her “MySpace fame”, her rise might have been more clever than you think. Maybe we could say she was the first artist to manipulate social media into “making it” look organic, something which is common practice today. 

The platform tried to go into different industries, including music, they had the audience, it made sense but when they tried to pitch ‘MySpace Records’ to The Cribs, the Wakefield brothers turned Tom’s record deal down. It lacked credibility.  

2005 was a defining year for MySpace. Mark Zuckerberg offered to sell Facebook to them for $75 million but they declined. Later that year Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought MySpace for $580 million with founders Tom and Chris still in charge. In a meeting with Rupert the pair sold the business model as a platform where users generate the content and invited users, all News Corp. needed to do was sell ad space to businesses. This was the first time businesses were seeing value in advertising on social media platforms however News Corp. was in the middle of migrating their businesses online which was a distraction. 

The acquisition was the start of a downfall as it took MySpace into the corporate world, slowing down progress, losing the start-up buzz and the ease to adapt. They had monthly financial targets to reach. MySpace overtook Google as it became the internet's most visited website in 2006. Like, when anything becomes popular the best days of authenticity had already been and gone. 

With over 300 million registered users MySpace was the king of social media as it had 80% of the market share in 2007. The business was valued at $12 billion while Facebook had less than 10% but they had momentum. 

Zac Stephenson (Special Needs) “We had a MySpace account for the band when. It was good for a while but actually it was bands or musical artists ended up destroying MySpace. They didn’t incorporate a facility to compartmentalise bands and real-life friends quickly enough so it became increasingly harder for people to see important social activity amidst a hurricane of band activity and I feel Facebook capitalised because it allowed everyone to be able to sort of reset things. To tidy up.” 

In 2008 Facebook began to takeover and 3 years later News Corp. sold MySpace to Specific Media Group and Justin Timberlake for $35 million. Over the following few years MySpace changed owners and directions several times and in 2019 MySpace began to focus on music but the platform consisted of news, videos and social networking, lacking anything unique. 

NEXT CHAPTER