#and now it's STILL 200 games despite my having bought them regularly for a while | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

meltwonu · 4 years ago

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| 🍒 CH-CH-CHERRY BOMB! 🍒 | [CHAPTER 12]

pairing; dom!seungcheol x camgirl!reader

this chapter’s notes; camshow, sex toys, overstimulation, tiniest mentions of daddy!kink, a lil bit of a filler chapter!, this is the most btsvt chapter that it’ll ever get so i’m sorry if you dont like that!! 😭😭, a bit of a lighthearted chapter too tbh to ease everyone back into cherry bomb! 💕 I know its been like two fuckin weeks since the last update which is honestly insane to me! I almost couldnt remember where we even left off lmao kdjfhds 😩💕💕 Thank you for being so patient with me and waiting it out while we had two weeks of Monster Mash! Starting Monday, I’m gonna be going back to my normal posting schedule! 💕 have a great rest of the weekend, yall! 🍒

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - ?

“Wait, seriously? You want to work here? But--but I thought you were from out of town?”

Jun’s eyes light up with excitement; fingertips crushing the resume you passed to him moments prior. “Um, well, there was a change of plans… and I’d really like to work somewhere where I have a friend! If you guys are still hiring, that is...” You reply back meekly.

It’d taken you all morning to write up a resume, blushing a little when you realize most of your income had been from camming. It’d also made you pause for a moment when you realized that it meant Jun would also know your real name too; as well as everyone who came through the diner and all of your coworkers.

“Yeah, of course! I, um, just give me a second to pass this to my manager, okay? I’ll be sure to put in a good word!” Jun shoots you a wink before he turns to leave.

You take the opportunity to sit down at a nearby booth, fishing for your phone to text Seungcheol.

‘I think I might be getting the job!!’

cheollie ✨: oh? Not that I doubted you, but is it confirmed already?

‘Mm… Jun is trying to put in a word for me! But I’m confident!’

cheollie ✨: thats my baby ;)

You hear someone call your name hesitantly, only to find Jun standing a few feet away looking at you sheepishly. “Um, sorry, your name’s on the resume so I figured…”

“Oh! Yeah, it’s fine!” You awkwardly giggle. “I figured writing ‘Cherry’ as my name wouldn’t be too smart when you need to cross-reference my ID if I get the job.” Jun laughs as he takes the seat across from you in the booth, papers in hand.

“Well, I convinced my manager to let me interview you. Told him that if we’d be workin’ together that I’d want to scope you out for myself! He bought it, can you believe it!?” Grinning, he sets your crumpled resume down next to a small stack of papers. “I don’t doubt you’d pull your weight around here but I do have to ask… Why here of all places? I thought your, uh, other job was enough? Or I guess I assumed...” You bite your lip, flip-flopping on whether or not you wanted to let him know exactly what happened that led to your sudden decision.

“Um… There were just some big life changes I had to make on the fly and I’ll be living around here now! I’m trying out some new things… I also figured if I worked with you, then you’d know my schedule the best too! And you seem like a really nice and cool guy.”

Jun nods, smiling back at you.

“You got that right!”

“You’re seriously going to start working there?” Jeongguk raises a brow, cables in hand as he sets up the extra PC in his streaming room. “And the guy working there knows you? That doesn’t bother you?”

Seungcheol laughs under his breath, “Yeah and he knows me now too. And knows I’d kick his ass if he tried anything.” You pout from your place in the expensive gaming chair; eyes focused on Jeongguk who shimmies under the desk to start plugging in the cables.

“Well, yeah he does know me, but he’s also one of my regulars and knows the schedules I’ll need, so I think we can trust him!” They both nod and Seungcheol is quick to cross the small room until he’s right behind you.

“He seems like a nice guy though, I don’t think we have to worry.”

Jeongguk slides out from underneath the desk, dusting off his pants as he stands. “And if he does end up being a weirdo, there’s always a place for you at the roller rink!”

Seungcheol rolls his eyes, hands gripping onto the backrest of the chair.

“No.”

“Hey guys, welcome back to Golden Closet Gaming! I’m JK, your regular host! Today, we have a suuuper special guest! Why don’t you introduce yourself, pretty lady~”

You take a deep breath as you lean in close to the mic; somewhat nervous and a little out of your usual element. “Hi everyone~ I’m Cherry! Some of you may know me from, um, the other side of the streaming-sphere but I’m joining my friend today in hopes of boosting our channels together and having a ‘lil bit of fun!!”

Seungcheol sits at the side as he watches the two of you; a small smile painted on his lips at the way the two of you seem to fall into your characters easily despite the somewhat different platforms and influx of different viewers.

The sound of donations and comments pour in a lot quicker than Jeongguk, himself, is used to; eyes wide and eyebrows raised as he pauses to watch them flood the screen.

sleepy_wonu has donated $100

xcaliburDK has donated $100

sleepy_wonu: never thought i’d be donating here but here we are

xcaliburDK: i was always a silent watcher but u kno i had to donate for my favorite girl!

seokGENIE: i feel like i’m entitled to something for taking your shift so i wont be donating, sorry pretty girl

j__min: can’t believe this kid got a collab with you before i did :(

j__min has donated $200

dtsug__a: i dont normally watch streams either but im curious

Jeongguk laughs, still in disbelief as the donations continue to pour in from a combination of your viewers and his. He always made a decent amount from his viewers but he couldn’t deny the pull you had from your viewers as well. “Wow, um okay, my donations are adding up a lot quicker than they usually do. That’s… Hey, whaddya say to streaming with me regularly?” He jokes.

A shy laugh bubbles up your throat; ears and cheeks burning hot at the idea. You had never collabed with any other streamer before and despite your initial hesitance and unsureness, you too, were shocked to find how well the two of you were doing without your usual content.

“Erm, I’m not very good at gaming though… I don’t think your viewers would like it very much...”

seokGENIE: thats ok jk sucks at gaming too, it wouldnt be too different

j__min: lmao fkjdhf

dtsug__a: does he get roasted often on this channel? If so i’ll be tuning in more often

dtsug__a has donated $100

dtsug__a: for your troubles, pretty gal

“On second thought, let’s let this be a special occasion, huh? Maybe collabs for the holiday, Cherry?” Jeongguk grumbles and Seungcheol has to bite his lip to keep in his laughs from his side of the small room. You start to feel more and more comfortable at the lighthearted atmosphere; tucking a stray hair behind your ear before you lean in towards the mic again.

“Ah! Speaking of, don’t forget to tune into my camshow tomorrow~! JK and I will be gaming on there as well but… with some added fun to match my channel~! 21 and over only~” You blink at the computer screen, still a little unused to the idea that you weren’t technically being filmed. Although, it was a nice change for once; not needing to be all done up for a show and simply just talking to your viewers and reading comments.

sleepy_wonu: is dom daddy gonna be on the show too?

“Dom daddy? Oh you mean Se---”

“Yes! Kind of!” You cut off, laughing nervously. Nobody knew Seungcheol’s name except for Jun and you were trying to keep as much of him private as possible, until he was ready. “In a sense, he’ll be there! You guys will just have to tune in to find out!”

Jeongguk laughs into his own mic, scooting in closer to his desk as he loads up the game.

“I think that’s enough chatting for now, huh? Let’s get started! Tonight we��ll be playing Phasmophobia! We’ll be playing something more lighthearted on Cherry’s channel, as she requested. So tonight we’ll be playing something I picked out. You ready, baby?”

Seungcheol narrows his eyes, quietly taking a sip of his water.

“Ready when you are!”

“I gotta say, sweetheart, for someone who doesn’t play video games too often, you’re not too bad.” Seungcheol comments, nodding his head in amazement as the three of you exit Jeongguk’s PC room. He’d had a hard time keeping in his laughs as he watched from the side and he had to admit, you were even cuter when you were outside of your usual element.

“I have to agree with hyung, but maybe it was also the adrenaline and screaming that kept you goin’.”

The two males share a laugh as you pout and plop down onto Jeongguk’s living room sofa. “Hey, how were the numbers for tonight, by the way?” You ask quietly.

“Honestly? I think we made almost triple of what my channel usually sees. I know I don’t really make a ton off of my streams since I don’t really do anything, like, crazy but shit… Even I’m shocked at how much we made.”

Seungcheol’s lip ease into a smirk; Jeongguk really had no idea how much the two of you had made off of a couple videos alone.

“We still have one more stream to do and then we can just pool up the money and split it down the middle!”

Jeongguk nods, stretching as he sits himself down onto the other end of the sofa. “I’ll bring my spare PC stuff so we can set up a little early tomorrow, if that’s cool with you two? Maybe have some food before we get started too ‘cause god knows I’m gonna be starving.” You look to Seungcheol who nods and checks his phone for the time.

“Yeah, we need to set up the cameras and lighting a little differently too so we’ll probably start earlier. Just text me before you drive over so we know when to expect you.”

You yawn next to Jeongguk; adrenaline having worn off as the tiredness finally sets in. “It’s so weird, usually I’m only just starting my stream right around this time but I’m so exhausted now...” Seungcheol’s eyes from cute crescents as he smiles down at you, stepping closer as he goes in to smooth down your hair.

“You really were screaming a lot, to be fair. How about we head home and you can sleep in the car?”

“Okay~”

Seungcheol lets you sleep in on Saturday morning, watching as your chest rises and falls with soft breaths.

He takes a moment to think over the last few weeks of his life and he can’t help the disbelieving expression that crosses his features when he realizes just how much had changed over the course of just weeks.

When the two of you had met, he wasn’t expecting much. He expected the two of you to hang out for a few days before you went home and forgot he even existed outside of your camshows and the comments section. But now that so much had happened between the two of you, Seungcheol felt a deeper connection to you and felt the need to protect you even moreso than ever.

He sees you shift slightly, sleepy eyes blinking open as you peer up at him. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Mm… g’morning ‘cheol…”

You grimace sleepily at how hoarse your voice sounds, “Ew, I sound so… gross.”

Seungcheol moves to get out of bed, leaning in to kiss your forehead before he shuffles towards the bathroom. “I’m going to wash up but you can stay in bed if you like. I’ll make you some tea for your throat, okay? We have a long day ahead of us and I don’t think you wanna sound like that later tonight.”

Nodding sleepily, you lay back down as you yawn and let the sleep take over once again.

“Are you really sure ‘bout this?” Jeongguk takes a bite of his pizza as he watches Seungcheol pull the desk closer to the bed.

“What do you mean?” You ask; readjusting the light that was closest to the younger male. “Like, I dunno, I’ve never been on a cam show like this so… I mean do I have to do anything different?” You laugh lightly as you go in to pat Jeongguk on the shoulder.

“No, just be you. And we went over it already earlier, the only thing that’s different is going to be me! No weird tricks or anything, I promise.”

Seungcheol places another monitor on the tabletop, grunting as he goes. “Yeah, and in all honesty, I would hate to have to watch you get off, ‘Guk.”

“Oh shut up, hyung. You say that like I don’t know what you’re packin’ under those sweats. I think it’d only be fair! Just two bros getting to know each other.” Seungcheol pretends to gag just as you double over in laughter. “No, absolutely not, ‘Guk. And also, nobody told you to watch those videos!”

Jeongguk pauses, lips pressing into a firm line. “You right, you right…”

You leave to get changed just as Jeongguk starts to help Seungcheol set up the last few bits of equipment. He leans in close to the older male, eyes glancing around the space to make sure you were completely out of earshot. “Hey, hyung, honest question.”

“Sure.”

“Are you really okay with all this?” Confusion crosses Seungcheol’s features as he raises an eyebrow at the younger male. “What’s ‘this’ exactly, ‘Guk?”

“Y’know, her living here and you camming all of a sudden, among everything else really… And the question if you’re in love with her which, by the way, we still all know that you are.”

A blush coats Seungcheol’s skin, fingertips almost losing grip of the camera he was about to mount to the desktop. “Listen, yes, okay, I do… like her a lot. But she’s going through a lot right now too and I don’t want to freak her out either. There’s a lot of life changes we’re going through so I’m just going to ...wait.”

“You’re a good man, hyung.”

“Hi everyone!”

You wave to the camera, winking and blowing a kiss to the camera propped up between the two monitors on the table. “I know, this setup is a little wild and not my normal but this is part two of my collaboration with Golden Closet Gaming! Do you want to introduce yourself to those who missed our other stream?” You turn to Jeongguk who nods; this time a little nervous as he stares directly into the camera.

He’d said he was okay with being filmed since he wasn’t actually part of any sexual acts, but he still found himself a little camerashy now that the two of you were live.

Seungcheol sat directly behind the monitors and cameras; his phone open to your cam show to watch from a different angle.

“Ah, hello! I’m JK of Golden Closet Gaming! I’m a friend of Cherry’s and no we won’t be fuckin’.” Jeongguk ends with an innocent smile that has you holding back your laughter.

therealchan99: i dont think dom.cheol would like that very much anyway

universe_WZ has donated $100

universe_WZ: unless he’s into watching

dom.cheol: no

alphagyu97: oh shit hes back

angelhan: huh, so hes not there?

“Oh, he is! He’s behind the camera~” You gesture beyond the camera to where Seungcheol sits and he leans over to quickly wave upside down in front of the camera to prove his existence.

j__min: ah, of course~ we know your daddy would never let you play with anyone else~

j__min: he likes you too much ;)

emerald.tae: oh? also hi new watcher!!!

emerald.tae: ur videos were great!!

emerald.tae has donated $200

therealchan99: im gonna need to start fighting ppl for ur attention i swear

gentleman_josh95: implying u had it

chwenon: yooooooo lmao

“You guuuuys, be nice! Just for that, I’m gonna be sending you a special private pic, okay ‘therealchan99’? You guys pick on him too much!” You pout.

therealchan99: hahaahhAHhhahaHAAHAA FUCKIN LOSERS SUCK ON THAT

tangerine_kwan: bruh

chwenon: damn guess we should can it

You respond to a few more comments as Jeongguk sits by and watches the way you interact with your viewers. He also takes note that you had a donation minimum before you started actually doing anything on your channel and that you’d already hit it pretty quickly.

“Okay! I think we should start now, huh? Oh, I should explain what’s going on!” You giggle cutely, settling into your space on the bed. “So JK and I will be playing this stilt man game! We have to get our character to the finish line without falling or the level restarts! JK has to get to level 30 and I have to get to level 20 and whoever reaches their goal first, wins!”

“I have a higher level to reach ‘cause our skillsets are different and we all know I’d smoke her if we both had to reach the same level.” Jeongguk grins.

seokGENIE: sure

seokGENIE has donated $69

sleepy_wonu has donated $100

hoshi_tiger_xx has donated $100

“And the reason why ‘dom.cheol’ is behind the camera is because...” You pause, eyes twinkling with playfulness as you stare directly into the lens. “In order to get me to do my best, he’ll be controlling a special toy I’m wearing~ Hehe, if my character falls, he’ll raise the vibration setting each time as punishment and leave it on until I cum…”

“Which we are assuming will be a lot. Unfortunately, no medic on standby.” Jeongguk jokes. Seungcheol rolls his eyes as he laughs from behind the camera.

“We have a safeword, don’t we, sweetheart?” You nod in response, “Mmhmm!”

“Let’s get it!”

It takes all of four stages before your character falls for the first time.

Seungcheol turns the vibrating panties on and you immediately jolt as you try to keep your character upright on screen. “Oh, f-fuck!”

kitty_junjun: uh ohhhh it begins

artist8hao: i don’t think she’s gonna last.. babygirl is so sensitive, she’ll probably cum soon

xcaliburDK: i’m giving it until level 6 before she cums

emerald.tae: oh are we placing bets

“Noooo~ Don’t place bets on me, I’m weak!” You whine; already squirming as the vibrations attack your clit. Seungcheol grins from in front of you as Jeongguk laughs from your side, already on level 7 on his own screen.

You had to admit, it was a little weird for someone else to be in the room with you while Seungcheol basically used a toy on you, but the younger male seemed to not care about it at all. Although, he had already seen most of you and Seungcheol at this point.

Your fingertips are shaky on the keyboard and computer mouse; already fearing the way Seungcheol’s eyes almost become darker the longer you struggle.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Is the game too hard?”

“A-ah, n--no, it’s not that b-bad…” Squirming, you grind down a little harder onto the bed just as your character falls on screen and Seungcheol raises the setting to the second highest in the blink of an eye. “Ngh, fuh---fuck!”

“Uh oh~ Should I slow down to let you catch up?” Jeongguk teases.

“N-no, I can beat y-you!”

The donations and comments pour in as you struggle to keep your calm and get your character to the finish line; letting out a sigh of relief as you finally enter the fifth level. You let out a choked sob as you already feel your panties starting to stick to you like a second skin from how wet you were getting and Seungcheol can’t help but chuckle.

“You know, you’re technically allowed to cum whenever you want. It’ll just… slow you down, is all.” Grinning, he watches as you look beyond the camera towards him as you pout.

“But I--I wanna win!” You cry; palms clammy as you try to rush through the fifth stage, only for your character to fall almost immediately. “Nooo~”

Seungcheol clicks the vibrator to its highest setting and your body goes rigid as the vibrations wreck your body. You start to grind against the toy as you chase your orgasm and forget about the game almost completely. In a perfect world, Seungcheol would have his cock snug between your walls, but instead you clench around emptiness as you crave his cock.

artist8hao: ah shes already cumming lol

seokGENIE: on level 5? Fuck

universe_WZ: her cute lil cunt cant take it, poor babygirl

seokGENIE has donated $50

emerald.tae has donated $75

alphagyu97: cum baby, u kno u wanna

alphagyu97 has donated $75

A small choked whine is all you can manage before you do cum; eyes clamped shut and fingers wrapped tight around the computer mouse as the waves of pleasure crash down onto your body. Donations and comments flood the side of the screen from a combination of your viewers and Jeongguk’s as they watch your face contort in pleasure.

“Ah, sweetheart, you’re really falling behind~ JK is going through the stages so quickly while you’re sitting there cumming~” Seungcheol teases. He licks his lips, simultaneously wishing you were sitting on his cock while you played your game.

That’d have to be for another time, he thinks.

It takes a second for Seungcheol to turn the toy off and your body immediately slumps forward as you catch your breath. “Ngh, d-damn it…” You grimace when you re-adjust yourself and find your panties soaking wet.

“I’m already on level 17, babe. You gotta catch up!”

You can only groan in response, flexing your clammy fingers before you try to focus on your own screen again.

kitty_junjun: oho looks like our princess is focused now

tangerine_kwan: u got this baby

j__min: show ‘em who’s boss, babygirl

You tune out the sounds of the comments and donations as you manage to get yourself to level eight without falling, but level nine proves to be just a little too hard as your character falls and Seungcheol turns the vibrator back on to its lowest setting again.

“Be careful, baby. Wouldn’t want to fall behind again would you?”

Seungcheol feels his cock throbbing in his sweats as he watches you bite your lip. And for the first time all night, he wishes that Jeongguk would just win and go home so that he could have his own private time with you.

“I’m on level 22 already. D’you think she can even catch up?” Jeongguk teases. He spares you a side glance, taking in your form slumped closer to the table as you try to fight the vibrations.

Your body was already extremely sensitive from your first orgasm and you quickly losing your confidence as you struggled to keep your character upright. If you came even just one more time, there was no way that you’d be able to beat Jeongguk with how quickly he was going through the stages.

therealchan99: she’s cumming just as quickly as JK is getting thru the stages hfdsf

gentleman_josh95: shes so cute when she cums tho

angelhan has donated $50

angelhan: thats the real prize angel

“T-thank you…” You whimper out, fingertips twitching against the keyboard and mouse as you focus your attention to the game to the best of your ability.

You manage to get to level ten with no more issues just as Jeongguk gets to level 25 and you let out an exasperated sigh as your character falls over again. “Uh oh~ I think I’m gonna win!” Jeongguk cheers; giddiness washing over him as he works to get to the end.

“Nooo~ That’s n-not, ah, fair!” Whining, you grip the mouse tighter as Seungcheol raises the setting on the toy again, watching as you rub your thighs together at the feeling.

hoshi_tiger_xx: sadly nothings fair in the gaming world babe

hoshi_tiger_xx has donated $50

dtsug__a has donated $50

dtsug__a: cute for thinkin so tho

“I don’t th--think I can, hah, c-catch up...” You moan. Your character on screen falls over one more time and all you hear is Seungcheol’s small ‘tsk’ under his breath as he sets the vibrator to the highest setting and leaves it there.

It doesn’t take long before the vibrations prove to be too much for you and you let go of the keyboard and computer mouse as your hands ball up into fists on top of the table.

The pleasure washes over you in sharp pin pricks; small whines and whimpers falling from your lips as your eyes completely clamp shut.

Jeongguk lets out a surprised noise at the way the donations and comments almost make the screen lag and for the first time, his character on screen falls over at his split second loss of focus.

“Ah, fuh--fuck!” You start to squirm once the pleasure starts to bleed into overstimulation and Seungcheol is quick to respond, “You’re gonna cum one more time as punishment for giving up, sweetheart.”

alphagyu97: ooo she's in troubleeee

gentleman_josh95: ahhh daddy still has to punish you after all

seokGENIE: damn is this what this channels abt? this is hot

artist8hao: babygirl always misbehaves

chwenon: she seems to like it too much 😏

dtsug__a: hooooo shit, thats hot

“It’s n-not my f-fault, hah, JK is j-just good at g-gaming...” You mumble.

Jeongguk manages to get to level 30 within the time you sit and grind against the toy; small noises of excitement falling from his lips as he cheers for himself!

“Aww, poor baby. Maybe you’ll focus a bit better next time, hmm?”

You nod frantically as a small tear slips down your cheek and your lips part in a breathy moan. “God, I--I’m c--cumming!”

Your body locks up, ears ringing as you cum one more time. Seungcheol wishes he could work you through it; hands massaging your skin as you take your pleasure or thrusting his cock into you as he chased his high with you.

Instead he watches from across you as your body twitches as your face contorts in unadulterated bliss, licking his lips the entire time with images of what could’ve been dancing behind his eyelids.

Jeongguk watches as the donations far surpass what the two of you made on his channel; brows disappearing into his poofy head of hair. “Wow, uh, y’all seem to really like it when she gets punished, huh?” He mutters under his breath.

“Don’t you?” Seungcheol teases.

“Truuuuue.”

A garbled moan has both of their attention on you as you try to shy away from the toy still vibrating against your overly sensitive clit. “Ah, ‘m too sen--sensitive now...” You cry.

Seungcheol turns the toy off completely as your chest heaves in deep breaths; pouting at the fact he wasn’t able to enter the camera frame to take care of you.

Jeongguk grimaces slightly at the way your body sways in tiredness next to him, unsure of what to do next now that he’d won.

“Haha, um, medic?”

#cherrybomb!cheol #seungcheol smut #scoups smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #scoups scenarios #scoups imagines #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios #seventeen scenarios #svt scenarios #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt fic #seventeen fic #scoups #seungcheol

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overcastgames · 6 years ago

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Persona 3: Life on the Edge

The Persona series is my personal favorite game series. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s my love of anime, or the fantastic music associated with the series. Maybe it’s the social-sim aspects of the newer games in the series that I love. Whatever it is, Persona will always hold a place in my life.

My introduction to the series is a little strange, I had been watching a youtuber by the name of superjeenius, on a whim, I decided to check out his let’s play of Persona 4 Golden, and was instantly hooked on the series. Sometime shortly after I bought Persona 3 FES on sale from the PSN and thus my trip through RPG hell began.

The Persona series began its life as a spin-off of Atlus’ flagship series Shin Megami Tensei in 1996. With the popularity of the series however, the Persona series eventually took on a life of it’s own, surpassing its predecessor in popularity.

There are many things from the SMT series that Persona has retained though. Many of it’s core mechanics remain the same, and it still maintains a high level of Atlus’ notorious difficulty. Where it separates from its sister series though, is purely with progression.

In Persona 3 in particular, the player is given a set calendar to work their way through, all in all it amounts to about ¾ of an in game year. This time is where the Persona series shines. While some of this time must be spent doing typical RPG things, a lot of it is left to the player to decide what they want to do with it. You can do things like: spend time with key characters to boost your bond with them, and learn more about them as characters, do various activities that will increase your main characters traits, take on a list of side quests, go do some dungeon crawling, or just go hang out in your room if you don’t feel like doing any of that. There are set dates that relate to story progression, so as long as you keep that in mind, there is really no lack of things to do in Persona 3′s world.

Story wise, the player takes on the role of the silent protagonist, built on the old RPG trope of allowing players to insert themselves into the games. you can give him whatever name you want, especially since his canon name continuously changes. Anyway, the player fills the role of the blue-haired emo boy during a year in his life when he has just come to an island for school. On his way there, strange things begin occurring, a random blackout, coffins in the streets, a strangely large moon, and a girl with a gun In her hand. Together with the rest of the cast, you spend the year as SEES a group dedicated to investigating and ending these occurrences.

While some of the characters can be obnoxious, there is no doubt that Persona 3 is a character driven game. Much or your time can be spent getting to know the characters around you, and what their goals are in life, and as your time with the game goes on, the characters around you grow with you.

Mechanically, Persona 3 is a turn-based RPG. you attack, your opponent attacks, and the cycle goes on and on and on and on, except not really. The battle mechanics may seem simple at first, but there is complexity there for sure. You have the option to attack with your base weapon sure, and there is merit to that on occasion. Much of what you’ll be relying on in battle though is your persona, the avatars from which the series draws its name.

Each character in your party has their own persona, and subsequently their own base element. Persona’s are based on some character trait that each character has, and everyone gets one. Except this is an anime, so of course the protagonist has multiple. You can amass personas which give you a variety of skills to use in battle through a few different ways. The most common way you’ll likely gain a new persona is through shuffle time, a shuffling card game that can take place at the end of a battle. There are benefits that can be found in shuffle time as well, you can use it to regain hp, or sp, the latter of which is used to perform most magic in the game, you can also find cards that give you money, or even a weapon, though usually the weapons are only good for selling. Another way to get a new persona is through the fusion system, this is a carry-over from SMT. Persona fusion is largely exactly what it sounds like, when desired, there is a place you can go to combine 2 or sometimes more, personas to create a stronger one, most of the time, skills can be passed from the fusion personas to the result persona as well, though during persona 3, there is no real control over which skills get passed down. Finally, using a tool that comes later in the game, you can re-summon old personas.

Personas are important for combat because they allow you elemental attacks. Much of Persona’s battle system relies on finding and exploiting weaknesses of the enemies you are up against, this is very similar to SMT’s press-turn system, though it does take its liberties. Hitting an enemies weakness not only does extra damage, but it also knocks the enemy down rendering them immobile for the following turn, additionally, it allows the character who hit that weakness to attack a second time, either until they break the chain by not hitting a weakness, or they have successfully hit all enemy weaknesses. During the latter case an “All-Out” attack is possible, this is an attack that involves all of your current party members, and does a lot of damage in most cases. All-Out attacks are the most desirable outcome in most battles. Because of this though, you run the risk of burning through your sp pretty quickly, so it’s important to keep an eye on that. The weakness chart is pretty simple to follow, first are weapon attacks: they read as slash, pierce, and strike, these can be performed with base weapons, and some persona attacks carry these traits as well. Next are the elements: fire, ice, electricity, wind, light and dark. Light and dark are special, because they don’t do normal damage like the other attacks do, rather they are insta-kill attacks. There is one other element known as almighty, but it doesn’t really track as a weakness. What’s important to remember here is that strengths and weaknesses and the effects therein apply to your characters as well, if your weakness gets hit, you will be knocked down, and the enemy gets another turn, more frighteningly though, is that light and dark are insta-kill for you as well, I can’t count how many times I have seen an enemy use these attacks, and felt a knot in my chest as I wait to see if I’m done or not.

Though I would love to continue singing Persona 3′s praises, there are some questionable things that the game does. During battles you have no control over what your party does, only the main character, this was changed in later games, and even in the PSP release of the game, but for the moment, it leaves you helpless as you watch your ai party members do stupid things for the hundredth time. Additionally, your party members can get tired during dungeon exploration, which can be a drag early game because it happens fairly regularly, as they level up, this is less of a problem, but it still happens, and it can be annoying. Perhaps the worst thing though is the actual dungeon itself. The main area you’ll be sinking most of your time into is called Tartarus, a deformed version of the high school you attend, that is now a sprawling 200+ floor tower. Throughout much of the game, the story treats Tartarus as a side thing that can be taken on should you wish to get some level grinding in, but the reality is, finishing Tartarus is mandatory, and they don’t tell you that until the last story beats are happening. When I say 200+ floors, I mean it. Tartarus stands at exactly 264 floors tall, and you have to make your way through each of them. The floors themselves aren’t that big, but they are randomly generated, so memorizing floor layout won’t help. Not all of the floors are immediately available to you though, a new set unlocks after each major story point. For your sanity I would encourage you to take on each set as they become available, because if you wait, you’ll be in for quite the slog.

Despite it’s flaws, Persona 3 is where I discovered my love for not only the series but the RPG genre, it holds a place in my heart that most other games could not hope to have. It can be fun, and engaging, but it can also be frustrating, and painfully boring. I’m sure I will get around to the other games at some point, but for now I think this is good enough.

If you are interested in playing Persona 3, it is available on PS2, PS3, and PSP, in various forms. In my opinion FES is the best version of the game, but your opinion may vary.

#Persona #Atlus #Shin Megami Tensei #Anime #Video games #review #PlayStation 2 #PlayStation 3 #PSP #Gaming #RPG's #I've written this post 3 times

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airoasis · 6 years ago

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How to Not Get SUED When Dropshipping (w/ Aliexpress & Shopify)

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How to Not Get SUED When Dropshipping (w/ Aliexpress & Shopify)

Whats up, guys. So today, i am gonna talk about how to guard your self from being sued when dropshipping. This wasn’t a question I was once planning to answer but we now have not too long ago had a flood of feedback and emails from humans asking those questions so I knew I had to deal with it. So here are the questions that i’m gonna be answering on this video. One, will you be sued should you use AliExpress product photographs that suppliers have publicly posted? Two, how will you stop yourself from being sued for using copyright snap shots? Three, are you able to sell products from AliExpress that have logos on them? So as to find out the solutions for these and easy methods to stop your self from being sued, maintain observing this video.One, will you be sued if you happen to use AliExpress product portraits? I’m gonna preface this with the truth that i’m not a lawyer however my answer to that is no, no, no, no, no, no. I’m gonna be sincere. I to find this question relatively stunning since it is relatively original advantage that China is the country of piracy and knock-offs, yet humans ask me this query all the time. Piracy and knock-offs are rampant in China. Pirated films, video games, and song are sold very publicly on the streets, despite the fact that it is technically unlawful, which is why i guess i am somewhat bit amazed that folks are worried that chinese suppliers are gonna pursue you in court docket for utilising their product pictures.But I additionally appreciate seeing that the inspiration of getting sued is frightening so it makes sense that you would want to double examine. I will be able to inform you now, i’m ninety nine.9% special that now not only would a provider now not pursue you in court docket however that they might view you utilizing their pictures as a smart factor. You see, in China, they’ve an extraordinarily one of a kind cultural angle in the direction of piracy.It can be for the reason that in the West, we strongly value the rights of the character. In China, they do not. And in China, the proposal that just one individual will have to financially advantage from anything that may be so quite simply and cheaply copied and allotted to the lots is crazy. And i want to be clear, i am neither agreeing or disagreeing with these suggestions. I am just explaining how things are exceptional in China. So when an AliExpress brand posts pictures of the merchandise they’re promoting on their list, they won’t have the same reaction as we would have within the West considering the fact that these pictures are so convenient to be copied and reused. Instead, they will be happy that you are utilising them to promote extra of their products because, of path, it makes them more money. And keep in mind this, take the self-stir mug as an instance. If we head over to AliExpress, guess what we will be able to to find? We are going to find that the producers are stealing photographs from each and every different. The same photos are used by special manufacturers to promote their own version of this product. And more importantly, all of these suppliers are just manufacturing their own replica of this mug.Who even is aware of who was the normal brand and creator of the mug? And the equal goes for the photographs, who knows who was once the primary brand to take the fashioned inventory graphics for this mug? It’s unimaginable to understand. If the normal creator in China was going to be suing any person, they’d be suing the manufacturing corporations which might be reusing them which can be situated in China, not some random person who lives midway all over the world. But if truth be told is that they may be now not going to even sue their neighborhood manufacturing companies considering their cultural attitudes towards mental property are thoroughly unique to ours.So no, i don’t suppose you must be concerned that you are going to get sued for reusing their portraits in your retailer but i am not a legal knowledgeable, I have got to state that. If you are nonetheless involved, my recommendation to you could possibly be to with ease message the provider and ask them if they are okay with you reusing their images. I’ve certainly not met a supplier that may say no but it surely’s continually excellent to get their affirmation. Two, how can i restrict being sued for copyright images? In China, they may not care for those who reuse pictures that originated there but in the West, it’s an totally specific story. I’ve had more than one pals which were sued for making this error. I had one friend that obtained sent a bill for $10,000 for accidentally utilising copyright images. Apparently enough, the lawsuit failed to simply go by means of given that it used to be for one of my buddies that used to be situated right here in New Zealand and right here in New Zealand, the legal guidelines surrounding copyright damages are very extraordinary.Right here, to claim damages of $10,000, you need to really exhibit that you just lost $10,000 via someone illegally utilizing your pix. My pal was no longer making any money off the snap shots. It wasn’t a business internet site. After they realized that he used to be broke and had no cash, they only dropped the lawsuit and he took the photos performed. And no, they hadn’t despatched him a takedown observe.It’s a normal misconception you could skirt the regulation and just take down the photos while you get sent a realize. No, they do not ought to send you that. They’re flawlessly inside their rights to just instantly sue you. Nevertheless it was a good reminder that small web sites that aren’t even making any money yet can still be sued for copyright infringement. If my buddy had been residing in the United States, then that lawsuit would have gone very otherwise. He acquired very lucky. So don’t consider that in view that you do not have an ideal successful web site but that you’re not going to get sued. You still have to make sure that you are following copyright legal guidelines. An effortless solution to stop yourself from being sued for copyright is to make use of photographs that you’re allowed to make use of and an easy way to in finding them is with Google pix. On Google pix, click on Settings and then click on evolved Search. Kind in what you need to search for and then simply scroll down to usage rights and decide upon free to make use of, share or regulate, even commercially. You’ll be surprised at how many pictures you to find that you are allowed to use.Three, can i sell AliExpress merchandise that have trademarks? I’m gonna preface this once more with the fact that i’m now not a attorney but no, no, no, no, no. You cannot sell objects that are trademarked. I know that I’ve normally pressured a few of my viewers considering of the video I created, "the best way to Dropship from AliExpress." In that video, I highlight a retailer from a friend of mine called World of Harry. It’s a WooCommerce dropshipping store that dropships Harry Potter items from AliExpress. Now the purpose why I highlighted the store wasn’t on the grounds that I endorse dropshipping trademarked Harry Potter items like he’s doing. It can be due to the fact that that website has a ton of seo executed to it and it’s getting lots of organic, free site visitors from Google. I was utilising it as a case be taught for how one can optimize your possess outlets for the Google search engine. In that video, I say two things. First of all, I say that that store may be very good optimized for Google however secondly, I also state that I don’t advocate selling trademarked products. Dropshipping trademarked products is a dicy trade due to the fact that it’s tremendously unlawful.I will let you know now, i’ve a pal that told me a narrative about how his dropshipping industry close to led to disaster when he first began it. He was dropshipping merchandise from China that were counterfeit and unlawful but he was once naive. He assumed that on account that the producers were selling hundreds and hundreds to 1000s of those per week that it ought to have been legit and that that they had each right to do so. Good, he discovered that that was once not the case at some point when the Feds got here knocking at his door. So he opened it and determined that it used to be the Feds who had come to speak to him about how he was once illegally promoting counterfeit gadgets.Now, like my buddy prior, he also bought fortunate and managed to avert any severe authorized action or jail time nevertheless it would have so comfortably long gone the other way. So don’t promote some thing that is branded with a trademark. You would consider that for the reason that the self-stir mug with Harry Potter on it is selling 200 items a week that the brand need to have the right to take action but they do not so do not sell it. As an alternative, promote this popular self-stir mug that has no logos or logos on it. There are so many cool, regularly occurring products to dropship on AliExpress so don’t get lazy and start promoting trademarked merchandise although they are able to be very easy money. So there we go, guys. I’m hoping you observed this video worthy. If you favored it, i’d appreciate it if you happen to gave it a thumbs up and subscribed to us here at Wholesale Ted for more high-quality videos about selling on-line. And when you’ve got any questions, be definite to ask them in the feedback section beneath.Admittedly, here at Wholesale Ted, we do get a number of questions but we do our very nice to answer as many as we are able to. And if you would like to begin your possess dropshipping trade however you do not know how, then you definitely will have to be certain to download our free e-book, "how one can Make $10,000 a Month on-line with Dropshipping." you can discover a hyperlink on the way to download this amazing, existence-altering e book within the video description below. .

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batterymonster2021 · 6 years ago

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How to Not Get SUED When Dropshipping (w/ Aliexpress & Shopify)

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/how-to-not-get-sued-when-dropshipping-w-aliexpress-shopify/

How to Not Get SUED When Dropshipping (w/ Aliexpress & Shopify)

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andytfish · 5 years ago

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FREELANCE GUiDANCE: A 10 Part Series - #4 LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS

Whether you just graduated art school or you're making the Freelance jump from an existing career it matters not. The cardinal rule of being your own boss, of working for yourself is LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS.

I have a student who has just made the jump. This person keeps an active blog so I keep up with them pretty regularly. To me they write things like "I'm really struggling this month-- can you give me advice on how to do better" while on the BLOG they write about going out with friends 3-4 times a week and trying the latest craft beer. Or another expensive trip. Or buying a brand new car. Or their latest training session with a personal trainer at an expensive local gym (I know it's expensive because I used to belong to it).

My biggest piece of advice if you're going to make the jump to Freelance is to live like a grownup.

What does that mean?

It means you make sacrifices because it's not in the budget. When I was starting out a friend dropped by and saw the cases of Ramen Noodles I had in my pantry and remarked that I was living like a college student-- they were right, I was living like a college student on a budget. Ramen Noodles are cheap and easy to make and they fill you up. Craft beer is expensive; tell yourself that SOMEDAY you'll be able to go to every event you want, every social obligation will be met to the fullest, but if it's important to you to make it as your own boss you are in total control of your destiny and that destiny might mean Ramen Noodles 4x a week.

It might mean you need a room mate for a while. It might mean you sacrifice the car for a bike. It might mean you have to pass on the invitation to the latest event because it's not in your budget. Cold and hard truths that grownups have to face.

Make a budget looking at what you're spending RIGHT now-- do it over the course of a month and break it down like this:

ESSENTIALS

Rent

Electricity

Heat

Food

Internet - although I know someone who used to rely on libraries and coffee shops for their internet. Not practical for today's freelancer and you might be spending more on coffee than you would on a simple connection.

Clothing

Health Insurance

Looking at these there are ways to reduce each expense. Rent can be cut if you move to a cheaper place or bring in a room mate (or two).

Electricity can be cut if you unplug essentials at night. I was floored by the savings we encountered simply by throwing the switch on various surge protectors around the house.

Heat-- remember your Dad yelling at you to put on a sweater rather than turn up the thermostat? Welcome to grown up ville.

Food- For Groceries - I don't like them but coupons can save you a lot. Discount places like OCEAN STATE JOB LOT offer gourmet grocery products at 1/4th the price. The best thing you can do is make a list and not just do random shopping where you are prone to impulse buys.

If you're eating out a lot you are spending more than you have to. Try restricting it to one night a week and even then at a place where entrees are no more than $12 ea and you'll see your food budget grow.

Coffee-- I used to spend $5 a day on coffee then I bought a Kuerig and figured out the type of coffee I like and some to go cups and now I seldom buy coffee on the road. When I do get one, I strictly stick with Cumberland Farms because the coffee is better than Dunkin's or Starbucks and it's only 99c for any size. HUGE savings there.

Internet-- you're going to need a decent connection if you're a freelancer, and your options here are limited. Buy the lowest level product you can, take advantage of introductory offers and when the offer is about to expire CALL them and try and negotiate a better than published rate. Most providers would rather keep you than lose you to a competitor.

Clothing- One of the richest men I know shops at thrift stores like SAVERS. If it's good enough for him it's good enough for me and then it's good enough for you. I still reserve socks and underwear for NEW retailers like Target or JC Penney, but no more $90 Banana Republic Sweaters for me.

Health Insurance- While Obama Care still exists, check out your options. Most states give you a rate based on your income and the nice thing is if you're just starting out you won't have much income to begin with. Don't ignore health insurance, you want it when you need it and you won't know you need it until you're sick so take the afternoon to find a plan within your budget.

Essentials MUST be met each month-- tally up what yours came to-- that is your base of operations. Let's say yours came to $1100 and currently with Freelancing you're bringing in about $600 a month. If you've got some savings you can dig into that but a deficit of $500 a month is going to eat that up quick, do something to reduce the expenses quickly.

Let's say you made your budget and you just can't live within it despite all of the above advice. Then it's cold hard truth time. You need a THIRD room mate, or you'll need to "gulp" get a real part time job to help pay the bills. It's not the end of the world to do that. Working a few nights at a 7-11 is still better than working full time in an office if you're trying to be a Freelancer. It doesn't mean it's forever.

But let's say you meet all these essentials and you've still got a few bucks left over-- THEN and ONLY then can you consider LUXURY items.

SECOND TIER ESSENTIALS

Streaming Video, Game or Movie Rentals- because you can't stare at the walls for fun.

Automobile- you have to get around sometimes

Cell Phone- people have to be able to reach you.

Streaming is a much more reasonable expense than Cable or Satellite. Buy yourself a regular old antenna and you'll be SHOCKED at how many channels you get for FREE.

Automobile-- Used if you're just starting out-- reliable is best. Find a good mechanic and have them keep an eye out for you. I recommend Greasys Garage in Worcester. Those guys are gems.

Cell Phone-- I used to pay $200 a month for my phone-- I now pay $25 a month with VISIBLE, and if you know someone who is already on it you can join their party plan to get this rate. I have one opening with mine if you are looking for good quality cheap unlimited call, text and data. HUGE savings.

Now you can adjust your budget every month once you start doing better, so you're not locked to a life of Ramen Noodles and shadow puppets on the wall for entertainment, but set a realistic budget and then live within it and you'll find being a Freelancer is not as hard as it sounds.

NEXT WEEK: Part 5- GET PAID SON!

Andy Fish is a freelance artist and writer who has been living the lifestyle longer than there has been an iPhone on this planet. The advice given has worked for him, it might work for you, he hopes it does. But like all advice, take it with your own situation in mind. If you want to contact him shoot him an email [email protected]

#ADVICE #FREELANCE #FREELANCE LIFESTYLE

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marcos008-blog · 5 years ago

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Memories of Fifties Britain

EVERYBODY who grew up in Fifties Britain will have his or her own indelible memories of their childhood, from the first taste of welfare orange juice to the birth of rock’ n’ roll. The nation was recovering from the ravages of the Second World War and the camaraderie of wartime was still evident throughout the country.

Children waking up on Christmas morning in 1952 had experienced rationing of food and clothes all of their lives. It was quite normal to go without the sweets, biscuits, crisps and fizzy drinks that would be taken for granted by future -generations . Before sweet rationing ended in February 1953 the most prized thing in your Christmas stocking would have been a small, two-ounce bar of chocolate.

You probably didn’t get your first black and white television set until the late-Fifties. After all, only three million British households had one by 1954, with numbers increasing to almost 13 million by 1964.

But it didn’t matter if you had no television because you could play in the streets without the fear of traffic or the obstruction of parked cars. Buses and bicycles were the most popular modes of transport. In 1950 there were just under two million cars in Britain, with only 14 per cent of households owning one. The most-popular models in the Fifties included the Ford Prefect 100E and the Austin A35 saloon.

Many of us who grew up then have memories of houses that were draughty in winter with curtains hung behind the street door to reduce the flow of cold air and frost that formed overnight on the inside of bedroom windows.

Outside, the larger urban areas suffered with dense, yellowish smogs – known as pea-soupers – caused by fog combining with coalfire emissions. In 1952 a particularly thick smog shrouded London and caused the deaths of an estimated 12,000 people.

However, life was certainly not all doom and gloom. You grew up in a much safer environment than we can ever imagine these days. Children were able to enjoy the freedom of outdoor life. They played lots of rough-and-tumble games, got dirty and fell out of trees. The purple stains of iodine were always evident on the grazed knees of boys in short trousers.

We would also dress up like cowboys and Indians, wear holsters with cap guns and point and shoot at each other.

There was no such thing as health and safety or children’s rights. We were taught discipline at home and at school and corporal punishment was freely administered for bad behaviour.

There was no mugging of old ladies and people felt that it was safe to walk the streets. There was very little vandalism and no graffiti. Telephone boxes were fully glazed and each contained a set of local telephone directories and a pay-box full of pennies.

Youngsters respected and feared people in authority such as policemen, teachers, and park keepers, knowing that they would get a clip around the ear if they were caught misbehaving.

Home life was much different from today. Everyone seemed to have a gramophone, an upright piano and a valve radio in their front room and there were ticking clocks all around the house.

The kitchen was filled with products such as Omo washing powder and Robin starch and a whistle kettle was a permanent fixture on the kitchen stove.

Most adults smoked and there were ashtrays in every room, even in the bedrooms. Most homes didn’t have a bathroom so people would either wash in a tin bath by the fireside or take a weekly trip to the local municipal baths where they could pay to have a hot bath in a little more comfort. Toilets were usually outside.

We still managed to eat lots of wholesome food, which was always freshly cooked, and mums seemed always to be baking and though many of us didn’t have a fridge and went shopping for-groceries every day. Perishable foods were bought in small amounts just enough to last a day. It was quite usual to buy a single item of fruit.

On Sundays everyone had a roast dinner and leftovers were made into stews and pies to eat later in the week. In 1950, 55 per cent of young children drank tea with their meals. Bread and beef dripping was standard fare but we cringed at the sight of a curled-up Spam sandwich.

That was even worse than the daily spoonful of cod liver oil many of us had to consume.

Boys and girls played street games together, such as run outs, hopscotch and British bulldog. In the playground schoolgirls practised handstands and cartwheels with their skirts tucked up under the elastic of their navy blue knickers, while the boys played conkers.

We travelled in third-class compartments on train journeys to the seaside. In 1956 they were renamed second class. The change didn’t move you any higher up the social ladder but it made you feel there was a bit less of a social gap. At the seaside you wore a knitted bathing costume on the beach.

Do you remember Pathé News at the cinema? Going to the pictures was everyone’s favourite outing, with all those wonderful stiff-upper-lip British film stars such as John Mills, Jack Hawkins, Kenneth More and Dirk Bogarde and great war films such as The Dam Busters, epics such as Ben-Hur and comedies such as The Belles Of St Trinian’s. When the film ended everyone stood for the National Anthem and stayed until it finished playing.

For children the Saturday morning pictures provided the best fun. Every week, 200 to 300 unruly children would descend on a cinema for a couple of hours of film and live entertainment. The manager would regularly stop the film and threaten to send you all home if you didn’t behave and the solitary usherette was often forced to run for cover. It was controlled mayhem with the stalls and circle filled with children cheering for the goodies and booing the baddies. It introduced us to The Lone Ranger and Zorro and the slapstick comedy of Mr Pastry and Buster Keaton.

Dusty, old-fashioned sweetshops had high wooden counters jam-packed with boxes of ha’penny chews and other sweet delights. Remember Lucky Bags and frozen Jubblys and getting a sore tongue from sucking on gobstoppers, aniseed balls and Spangles? Then there were those old Smith’s potato crisps. The salt was in a twist of blue paper and you always had to rummage around for it at the bottom of the bag. All your one-shilling-a-week pocket money would go on sweets and comics (yes, we used old money back then, pounds, shillings and pence).

It was the decade of skiffle music with Lonnie Donegan and of the start of rock’ n’roll with Bill Haley, Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard. Did you know that Cliff’s first hit Move It is credited as being the first rock’n’roll song produced outside the United States? Other British singers such as Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury and Adam Faith first came to fame in the Fifties. But while everyone now remembers rock’n’roll, in reality the record buyers were suckers for-ballads and throughout the Fifties homegrown ballad singers had -British girls swooning in the aisles.

I have memories of Bob-a-Job Week, as a Cub Scout, you lend a helping hand to friends and neighbours in exchange for a small payment, it ended in 1992 after concerns were raised over health and safety and child protection issues.

“Sex was something mysterious which happened to married couples and Homosexuality was never mentioned; my mother later told me my father did not believe it existed at all ‘until he joined the army’. As a child I was warned about talking to ‘strange men’, without any real idea what this meant. I was left to find out for myself what it was all about.”

It is hard to identify the Britain of today with how it was back then. The whole appearance of the country has changed, particularly in inner cities where so much building and development work has been done over the years.

The wartorn dilapidated houses, derelict land and bomb sites that were the forbidden playgrounds of postwar baby boomers are now long gone.

There was something cosy about growing up in the last decade in which most children retained their childish innocence to the age of 12 or 13 and enjoyed a carefree life full of fun and games. The stresses of adolescence and then adult life could wait. We were lucky.

1950s: what it was really like

It was an era when women stayed at home, a 9-to-5 job meant just that, workers had a job for life and nobody had a Blackberry to ruin their holidays.

When the Queen was crowned in 1953, food rationing was still in force, supermarkets were unheard of, and fish and chips were our undisputed national dish. How things have changed. But is our diet more healthy now than it was then?

Despite the challenges of rationing, family diets still contained more bread, vegetables and milk than children have today.

There was a succession of callers to the 1950s house. These would include the rag and bone man, a man with a horse and cart and a call of ‘any old rags’. The rag and bone man would buy your old clothes for a few pennies and mend your pots and pans when the bottoms went through.

The milk man came daily and delivered your milk right on to your doorstep – again he would take away the empty bottles to be washed and re-used. The local shops would also deliver your groceries, bread and meat, the delivery boys using bicycles to make their rounds. The dustbin men worked extremely hard, carrying the old metal dustbins on their backs from the householder’s back door to the cart and then returning them back.

Fear of Polio held a reign of terror over this nation for decades. But unless you were born before 1955, polio may seem to be just another ephemeral disease that has been nonexistent for years. Those born before 1955 remember having a great fear of this horrible disease which crippled thousands of once active, healthy children. This disease had no cure and no identified causes, which made it all the more terrifying. People did everything that they had done in the past to prevent the spread of disease, such as quarantining areas, but these tactics never seemed to work. Polio could not be contained. Many people did not have the money to care for a family member with polio.

I can remember the days before the internet, local radio, Sky Sports etc. The was no information on Saturday matches other than the results on the TV and radio starting at approx 4.40. (Matches finished much earlier then. They started on time; there was only 10 minutes half time; there as very little added time)

In those days the only match reports on the day came in the Green’un. It was delivered just after 6.00 pm and, amazingly, there would be people queuing in the shops waiting for it.

The reports usually had a lot of detail on the first half but next to noting on the second half. (Not surprising as the reporters had to send their reports by telephone at half time and full time)

The green-un and a pink-un. One printed by the Evening World and the other by the Evening Post.

1950s memories

* We walked to school, had open fires and no central heating

* we spent our holidays in the UK

* No bathroom just a tin bath

* The outside toilet, you wiped your rear end with newspaper

* Cod fish fingers produced in Great Yarmouth were introduced in Britain in 1955.

* Chickens were for high days and holidays only as they were very expensive.

* Rabbit was eaten a lot those days.

* Pickled beef was a favourite of our family back in the 50s. The beef would be chosen and then pickled by the butcher.

* cows udder served warm with brown bread and butter. Also pigs trotters cooked until the crackling and meat falls off the bone.

* It was always stew and dumplings on Mondays as it was wash day and it was easiest to cook and always fish on Fridays.

* Mums used to do their weekly baking on Saturdays.

* In the summer we always went blackberry picking so had plenty of jams and pies. Some families had allotments so soft fruit was available.

* We certainly ate dates, they were delicious.

* worms in apples

* We had our first television set in 1955

* Butter was also sold from a large block and the grocer would pat it into smaller blocks with wooden paddles.

* Very few cars, lots of buses, neighbours talking on the doorstep and helping each other and the mangle in the garden for the weekly wash.

* fresh fish…cockles, mussels

* REAL butter

* chicken was only eaten at Christmas

* no ordinary family had turkey at Christmas

* The Corona popman would come round on a Friday selling bottles of lemonade. You’d save up the empty bottles which were worth tuppence each.

* broken biscuits from Woolworth

* cheese cut with a wire from a large block

* coal delivered in heavy sacks by filthy men

* boxes of shredded suet.

* toasting bread and crumpets over a real coal fire

* fruit salad with Carnation milk

* home made rice pudding

* Stewed steak and Onions

* bread and dripping with lots of salt

* Meat and Potato Pie

* Fresh bacon cut on a slicer to the thickness of your choice

* Bubble and Squeak on a Monday with leftovers from Sundays roast

* homemade Jam in a sandwich

* ration books!

* Brylcream

* Sunday School

* Kids were still innocent and weren’t trying to grow up too fast.

* Very few people were fat.

* Kids rode bikes and played outside.

* signs in house windows that said ‘Rooms to Let: No dogs, no coloureds’.

* No fast food in those days, other than fish and chips!

* Pasta had not been invented.

* Curry was a surname.

* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet

* Spices came from the Middle East where they were used for embalming

* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.

* A takeaway was a mathematical problem.

* A pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.

* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.

* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and cabbage,

* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not.

* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we were lucky.

* Soft drinks were called pop.

* Coke was something that we put on the fire.

* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.

* Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever part of our dinner.

* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.

* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.

* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.

* Brown bread was something only poor people ate.

* Oil was for lubricating, fat was for cooking

* Bread and jam was a treat.

* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves and never green.

* Coffee was Camp, and came in a bottle.

* Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.

* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.

* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.

* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.

* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist

* Hors d’oeuvre was a spelling mistake.

* The starter was our main meal. Soup was a main meal.

* Only Heinz made beans.

* Leftovers went in the dog.

* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.

* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.

* Fish didn’t have fingers in those days.

* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.

* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.

* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old newspapers.

* Frozen food was called ice cream.

* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.

* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.

* None of us had ever heard of yoghurt.

* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.

* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less.

* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.

* People who didn’t peel potatoes were regarded as lazy.

* Indian restaurants were only found in India .

* Brunch was not a meal.

* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato in the same sandwich we would have been certified

* A bun was a small cake back then.

* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food.

* Eating outside was a picnic.

* Cooking outside was called camping.

* Seaweed was not a recognised food.

* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday

* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.

* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.

* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious they would never catch on.

* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond comprehension.

* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.

* The world had not heard of Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.

* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.

* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were only found abroad.

* Prunes were medicinal.

* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was called cattle feed.

* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.

* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.

* We never heard of Croissants and we certainly couldn’t pronounce it,

* We thought that Baguettes were a problem the French needed to deal with.

* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour food.

* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and charging more than petrol for it they would have become a laughing stock.

* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.

* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and Botulism were all called "food poisoning."

* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties …. elbows.

do you have any memories of the 1950s?

Posted by brizzle born and bred on 2019-08-26 12:58:13

Tagged: , 1950s , UK , Memories of Fifties Britain

The post Memories of Fifties Britain appeared first on Good Info.

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damiencordle · 6 years ago

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I Found This Interesting. Joshua Damien Cordle

Dodging Facebook's 'Like' Trap for Small Businesses

By Peter Suciu

Despite complaints about user privacy and the sharing of personal data, Facebook remains the de facto powerhouse in the world of social media. It may have started out as a place to connect with friends, but with 2.23 billion users worldwide it isn't hard to see why it matters to marketers.

For the past decade Facebook has been a proven way for small businesses to connect with customers -- at least in theory. Although many millennials and even some older users see it as passé, it has a massive audience, offering a great way to connect with potential customers. That makes it a no-brainer for a small business, right?

Maybe not, because more users doesn't necessarily translate into more customers, and the efforts that go into promoting a brand or small business actually might be put to better use elsewhere. Ads on Facebook may be targeted accurately, but getting eyeballs isn't enough if you can't close the deal, make the sale, or see a positive return on your investment.

Simply put, Facebook advertising is the latest gimmick that promises more than it delivers in the digital age.

Before Facebook

In the 1970s and 1980s the "Yellow Pages" was the place to "let your fingers do the walking" and find businesses listed alongside competitors. The phone book listing had the advantage of offering information to customers looking for your product or service.

In the 1990s and early 2000s a Web presence became essential -- not only a Web page but the right URL. This was a still a largely passive way to tell a story about your brand, offer information, and provide a way for customers to connect with you through multiple channels including phone and email.

As a reporter who has watched the development of the World Wide Web since the 1990s, I have found it strange that in recent years some small businesses put more effort into a Facebook page than their actual website. This strikes me as an unnecessary duplication of effort, especially as many small businesses simply don't have time to update their timeline and post the sort of things that define social media. It also means that less time is available to keep the website relevant -- such as updating merchandise listings in some cases.

Worse still, Facebook creates yet another channel for communication, so in addition to responding to calls and emails, there are messages and comments that must be addressed. This is more cumbersome due to the added layer of logging into Facebook.

Typically you get an email that alerts you to a new message or comment. How is that more effective or efficient?

Facebook Efforts Don't Pay Off

Much of the above criticism of Facebook is based on my personal experience. In addition to being a freelance writer, I run a small antique business, and I'm a partner in a small independent publishing company.

At one time Facebook did strike me as a good way to promote both -- but based on my experiences, I would suggest that other small businesses reconsider before wasting too much effort.

I have used Facebook as a way to promote my offerings and build my brand as much as a small business could.

In a few short years I amassed more than 500 followers, which isn't overly impressive or significant. However, it took a great detail of effort. On average, I reach from 1,000 to 1,500 users weekly. For a small business with a very specific product line, that should be enough to keep me busy. It does -- but not with the selling of actual products so much as "working" Facebook.

To get eyeballs to my business page, I tried to do more than just show new products. I shared stories from the media that might be of interest to my followers, posted photos from various collectible shows, and offered insights on items in my own collection or items I had sold. In other words, I did my best to be social and engage with the audience.

This approach did get some attention, and in some cases stirred up a debate. I regularly "reach" hundreds of people, and the engagement seems reasonable. That should be good news, and many small business owners might be excited to engage so many people with the brand.

When I listed an actual product that I was offering, many users "liked" the item -- but a like isn't a sale.

I came to the realization that I wasn't boxing up products; I wasn't making sales. Instead, I was spending time "engaging" -- and that doesn't generate revenue or pay the bills.

Simply More Communication

The downside of engagement is that as the Facebook page gets more "likes" and more "follows," I get more comments. Facebook encourages business owners to respond quickly. This means I often find myself having to stop what I'm doing -- such as working on a paid writing assignment -- to respond to someone's comment.

For a long time I saw this as necessary "networking," but with all due respect to those new followers, few ever bought anything. Many simply like to comment.

This is common among small businesses that have shared their experiences. Too often many of us feel we're offering "customer service" by responding. Yet, here is the thing. These aren't actual customers. Customers buy something. These people are just commentators.

It took a while for me to see it, but those who spent the most time "liking" my posts, my photos, and the things I had to say unfortunately were the type of people who never buy anything. Even worse, because they commented so much, they sometimes tarnished the message -- at times even debating or arguing with actual potential customers.

On a website, communication is typically one-to-one, but Facebook is a public forum. That's not the best way to engage with your customers.

Paying for Promotions

The other potential "benefit" I saw with the social network was a way to target a specific audience. Much has been written about Facebook's targeted ads, which call people to action.

When it came time to promote my latest book, A Gallery of Military Headdress, which I coauthored with Stuart Bates, it seemed that boosting a post about it from my business' Facebook page would be good investment.

For around US$20 per promotion, I could reach upwards of 10,000 users with an ad targeting a narrow audience. As my book was about eclectic military hats, helmets and other forms of headgear, I was able to focus on those with an interest in military history in specific regions.

I also followed various marketing playbooks. I first promoted the preorder for the book to build up interest. Then I offered another promotion when the book was published, followed by a few more in connection with sales or other specials to keep up momentum. In total I spent nearly $200 on Facebook promotions, and had thousands of likes, hundreds of comments, and… few sales.

The momentum from Facebook was concentrated in likes and comments -- but not sales. In fact, I sold more books directly to people at the Baltimore Antique Arms Show in March, over a single weekend, than I did in 10 Facebook promotions.

Now I fully realize I have a niche title that isn't going to be a New York Timesbestseller, but it seemed that Facebook would allow me to reach a worldwide audience.

Maybe there are other factors to take into account -- such as people moving away from paper books to e-readers, but it seemed odd that so many people "liked" the book but few would pay $25 to buy it!

Going to the Groups

The promotions were just half of my marketing plan of attack. The other half was to find various interest groups on Facebook where I also promoted the book heavily. These included specific groups with esoteric interests, including one focused on "pith helmets" that had a couple of hundred members, as well as groups devoted to more general topics, such as the First World War or military history, which had thousands of members.

As part of my strategy to promote the book, I spent several hours each week finding groups and posting to them to become a part of the community. I actually enjoyed it, and I felt I was making true friends while "networking." I didn't want to "spam" these groups about my book; I wanted to highlight that I had a real interest in these topics.

When I did promote my book, I again received thousands of post "likes," and it seemed that my first print run of a modest 1,000 should sell out quickly if even a fraction of those users decided to order a copy.

Yet, as with the Facebook promotions, the sales didn't come. Instead, it seemed once again that many people just "liked" it.

That is the problem for any small business using Facebook. People like to "like" stuff. It is second nature. It is being polite -- a way to engage in a discussion. Of course Facebook encourages users to be engaged, and it made the "like" button so easy to use that it is second nature.

See a post about something and like it -- even if you don't really care.

In contrast to a "silent generation," we have created the "like era." Because I saw so many likes in my promotions during the pre-publishing phase, I actually misread the tea leaves and didn't manage expectations properly. As a result, my forecast on sales was completely off.

What's worse is that I could have directed my efforts in potentially more productive ways, such as trying to reach out to specialty book shops, and doing a more traditional PR push. I don't regret writing the book -- but I regret the decision to put so much effort into Facebook when it came to its marketing.

Alternative Ways to Target an Audience

Of course, Facebook isn't the only game in town. Major brands understand this and now utilize Instagram and more importantly "influencers" to hype products.

A small business can of course use Instagram, but let's not forget that Facebook owns the service. Millennials may follow it today, but likely will see it as passé tomorrow -- and even if they don't, Generation-Z certainly will. Social media is a moving target when it comes to what the in-crowd likes, and that makes it harder for a small business to rely on it.

Would my results have been any different with another social media service? Probably not.

Social media, especially Facebook, is a necessary evil for small business -- but this doesn't mean it should be the only means of promotion online.

A website is crucial, and I've found more customers for both my antique business and my book through the websites I've built for each. This just highlights the power of Google and search, even today.

People might not be searching for my business, but they may be searching for something I'm offering. Having a solid Web presence means they can find me via my products. That in turn has created repeat business, and customers have become clients.

Actual Forums

Although Facebook at times is little more than a "forum" for discussion, there are actual discussion forums and boards online covering a range of subjects. I have found that these are a great place for me to promote my book to a targeted audience.

The benefit of promoting on these forums is that they also show up in Web searches, something I haven't found to be the case with Facebook promotions.

Some forums do charge membership, and some may be private, but in many cases selling a product on a forum can be free. Of course this isn't something that applies to all products. An automotive repair shop, for example, probably can't sell a product easily via an online discussion forum -- but it could advertise its services on a local classic car forum.

Moreover, for new authors especially, forums can be an invaluable tool for connecting to and building an audience. This isn't to say that this should be in lieu of a Facebook page or Facebook groups, but if you're going to devote time promoting something online, consider alternatives to social media.

The Ad Networks

Another consideration for any small business -- and one I've explored only in a limited way -- is to consider the opportunities in targeted ads on Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram. These can be just as targeted as Facebook, but the costs can vary.

Instagram has seen massive growth and has more than a billion active users, but much likes its parent company, this can be hit or miss. A lot depends on the product or service you are offering.

If you're not seeing a lot of similar businesses, that could mean you'll stand out -- but it also could suggest there isn't an audience. The days of pioneering on social media are long in the past.

The same holds true for Snapchat and Pinterest. Don't expect to be a marketing pioneer.

Influencer Marketing

Effectively promoting a business or service could come down to getting an online influencer to spread the word. Most small businesses are unlikely to be able to afford a mainstream celebrity; there are still micro-influencers that have a reach between 5,000 and 50,000 followers.

Finding the right person who can spread the gospel may not come easily -- and it may not be cheaper, either -- but it could have a big impact.

Then there is taking it in another direction. If you already have the followers on social media and have a brand, the old-school blog and podcast can be a way to spread the word as a subject matter expert. This can be more easily said than done -- but the effort could pay off far more than just posting on Facebook and hoping the page will attract actual paying customers!

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theelectricbikeposts-blog · 7 years ago

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Would it be a good idea to purchase an electric bike? Here's all that you have to know to begin!

For what reason would anybody need an electric bicycle?

Electric bikes offer same incredible advantages from customary bikes including cost investment fund (no permitting or protection required), enhanced well-being and association with the group.

The original favorable position to e-bikes in my view is effectiveness in climbing slopes or battling the breeze joined with better range. If you encounter knee torment or exercise instigated asthma, electric bicycles will breathe a new life into the game of cycling. They may persuade your companion or substantial other to go along with you on the trails all the more regularly, or they may empower you to drive to work in extreme warmth without sweating to such an extent. I've possessed autos and mopeds earlier, and neither felt as sheltered or reviving as cycling along group ways, far from movement.

Electric bicycles expel a large number of the detours and difficulties that individuals look with customary pedal-fueled cycles, yet they aren't great. They can be costly, unpredictable and substantial which is a genuine agony if the battery runs out midway.

What sorts of riding are e-bicycles best for? What are they terrible for?

Since the beginning of electric bicycles in the United States (beginning in 1999 with the EV Global Motors E-bike from Lee Iacocca) outline styles and drive qualities have genuinely multiplied.

Notwithstanding necessary DIY packs, there are additional frameworks like the Ridekick Power Trailer now which add e-bike execution in addition to capacity utility! This structure is explicitly much less demanding than introducing a unit and can be effortlessly shared between relatives and companions utilizing customary bicycles or recumbents as a stage.

Today it is conceivable to make a plunge into electric bicycles or dunk your toe in for a little taste. In a few towns, you can even lease electric bike to show signs of improvement feel for them. Rocket Electrics in Austin Texas, for instance, offers visits and furthermore has a multi-day SXSW and F1 race week bundle for individuals who need to evade activity and get a very close perspective of the city. For the purest experience, reason fabricated e-bikes are the approach (bicycles that were composed and sold as being electric, not changed over later). They are lighter, harder and more skilled than any other time in recent memory. Regardless of whether you require a collapsing bicycle to stow in your attic or go up against a plane, a pair to lease and ride with your companion on an excursion or a downhill bomber with the expectation of complimentary riding on mountain trails, there is unquestionably an e-bike out there that is entirely proficient.

Apparently, I'm an immense fanatic of the innovation, and it's actually that the expansiveness of items has developed thanks in huge part to far-reaching acknowledgment in Asia and Europe. However, there are a few things e-bikes still has to overcome.

In case you're a perfectionist mountain biker who is scarcely acknowledged on climbing ways regardless, e-bikes may appear like a risk. In the same way that snowboards used to be banned at ski resorts like Vail Colorado in the 80's, e-bikes are still in their initial days. In the long run, snowboarding moved toward becoming standard, and Burton increased mass acknowledgment by propelling a viral activity testing holdout resorts. Nowadays, Deer Valley Utah remains a "ski-just" resort however you can snowboard practically wherever else and I feel like that will end up being the situation with e-bikes too. Once the technology turns out to be better comprehended and valued, it won't feel so debilitating to a few. I think customary bicycles are unusual honestly despite everything I possess one for quiet, lightweight cruising.

To be completely forthright, I, for the most part, utilize it on wet and cold days or when stopping overnight in high-wrongdoing territories where robbery or vandalism could be a hazard. I as of late got bike protection (Spoke Insurance and Velosurance offer it in practically every state, and it covers electric bicycles) and am feeling significantly more agreeable from a burglary and risk stance. To aggregate up the cons of electric bicycles: they tend to be more substantial, louder and quite often more costly than conventional bikes.

What are the various types of electric bicycles and their value ranges?

It feels like there's a bicycle out there for any event, some have little haggles intended to be anything but difficult to get and convey onto prepares and transports, while different models are practically similar to mopeds or bikes with 100+ mile go capacity and regenerative braking.

There are such a large number of sorts of light electric vehicles now. To the extent conventional e-bikes, costs genuinely differ and can stun at first. So brace for impact! The low end begins around $1,000. However, a current group subsidizing effort produced a considerable measure of consideration by offering a no-frills $700 show (it was sold as $500 + ~$200 shipping).

My inclination is that $1,500 is the least level worth investigating at present. I've seen an excessive number of troubled clients who acquired on the web and are presently attempting to settle a throttle system or discover a substitution battery pack because the cells they got were of low quality. There have even been a few fires when modest batteries were harmed and didn't have an electronic administration framework set up to forestall over-burden. At the higher classes of the e-bike world, some items price is $50k+, yet those are practically similar to craftsmanship.

For ~$4,000 you can get an unusual, Euro-demonstrated, German-built item with two years of exhaustive guarantee bolster. Bicycles like this offer natural controls, incorporated dynamo lights, bumpers and racks and a general lovely tasteful.

Bicycles in a superior class run up to $7,000 for expert level segments and keeping in mind that that may stun a few people, it's not far-removed from genius level pedal-controlled bikes.

Presently we should backpedal to the center range and dive somewhat more profound into costs. The first electric bicycle I bought was $2,500, and it spared me $2,000 in stopping alone finished the primary year.

In YouTube remarks I routinely observe individuals agitated with the apparent high cost of electric bicycles, guaranteeing that an utilized auto would be less expensive. I think they frequently neglect to perceive the high cost of auto repairs, protection upkeep like oil changes, protection, permitting and stopping. Autos and e-bikes are not speculations; they are devices or toys that devalue with utilizing, their actual esteem is exceedingly reliant on the earth and job needing to be done or diversion inclinations of the proprietor.

So for instance, on the off chance that you live on an interstate and drive 20 miles to work every day an e-bike won't be an extraordinary apparatus. To that I say, consider leasing a loft close to your activity and purchasing an e-bike!

Life changes aside, let's take a fast speculative costing case. A standard electric bicycle gets ~20 miles per charge and costs under $0.15 to fill (notwithstanding utilizing Hawaii's scale-tipping $0.37 per kilowatt-hour rates). So suppose that your auto gets 30 miles to each gallon and a gallon is $2 and your bicycle gets 20 miles to every charge, and a fee is $0.15, the bike is way less expensive, right? However, that is not the entire story. An exceptional electric bicycle battery costs somewhere in the range of $500 to $800 to supplant and keeps going 1,000+ charges so how about we treat this like a fuel cost and partition $500/1,000 charges. That's $0.50. Then we add the $0.15 charge price to the $0.50 battery utilize cost and get $0.65.

Essentially, electric bicycles are around three times more affordable to work than autos from a present fuel cost point of view. Beyond user operating expense they likewise cost less regarding negative externalities since they don't make restricted contamination which adds to medical problems and ruined perspectives of the mountains. E-bikes are magnificent yet so are cars and notwithstanding when self-driving electric automobiles supplant the expenses of proprietorship and diminish contamination, there will even now be tremendous wellbeing and social incentive to cycling. And for what reason not have an assisted cycle?

It resembles looking at a mechanical typewriter where you compellingly push the keys down to present day portable workstation that can be worked significantly less demanding, speedier, in more situations and it will spare your work carefully! Possibly a few people would guarantee that the sheer solid delight of old-fashioned typewriting and the ever show the risk of an incorrect spelling will dependably hold a place in their souls. And bravo, it's not by any stretch of the imagination an issue and with e-bikes or customary bicycles we can get in any case ride together and have some good times!

How far would you be able to go on a charge commonly?

A decent general guideline here is to separate watt-hours by 20. So electric bicycle batteries have voltage and amp hours, and a run of the mill pack at present in the US is 36 volts of energy with 10 amp hours of limit concerning 360 watt-hours add up to. If we partition 360 by 20, we get 18 miles. Given variety between throttle just electric bicycles and pedal help that 18 is indeed a story that can go up as riders contribute pedal-energy to the framework or distinctive drive frameworks are utilized.

For instance, mid-drive electric bicycles can profit by driving the back cassette and apparatuses to enable the engine for enhanced effectiveness. Similarly that you would need to move down when moving (rather than standing up and working additional hard), so too does the engine and these mid-drive frameworks offer that adaptability since they pull the bike chain alongside you. I've seen some electric bicycles with that same 360 watt-hour battery limit achieve 50+ miles for each charge on a low level of help (equal to half of the rider's pedal power yield). That is entirely astonishing to me.

Are e-bicycles considerably quicker than ordinary bicycles?

Not by any stretch of the creativity, most low-speed electric bicycles won't go more than 20 miles for every hour under engine control alone. You can merely pedal quicker than that or drop a high slope yet government direction confines this best speed in return for the arrangement as a "bike." Some current bargains have been influenced whereby to pedal help electric bicycles may reach ~28 miles every hour helped yet just if the rider is accelerating thoroughly. A corresponding class of electric bicycles called "speed pedelecs" exists in Europe and have turned out to be prominent for suburbanites.

Observe however that effectiveness drops off substantially as riders pick up speed because of drag. That is "powers acting inverse to the relative movement of any protest moving as for an encompassing liquid" or this situation air. The power expected to push a protest through liquid increments as the solid shape of its speed while "air drag" is around relative to the square of speed.

As you go past 15 mph on an e-bike, drag truly begins to cut into the range you can accomplish, so speed comes at a high cost!

Would I be able to do DIY upkeep on my bicycle regardless of the possibility that it's electric, or do I have to see a specialist?

It is a remarkable inquiry! With regards to electric bicycles, I, as a rule, prescribe that individuals purchase locally if conceivable. It is because the bike will be collected legitimately, following particular torque appraisals on screws and such, and will be adjusted to the rider for enhanced solace.

In the bicycle business, many shops that offer both conventional and electric will reveal to me that e-bikes see ten times the utilization. It depends on client criticism and tune-ups that they give. Individuals directly ride electric bikes more, and further, and speedier! Some of that wear can be adjusted by the end client yet with regards to throttles, batteries and computer frameworks things can get dubious.

Electric bicycles wed mechanical frameworks with software and electrical complexities. There is a cause that Apple calls their technical support "Prodigies," correct? Propelled learning and a particular toolset are required to genuinely keep up electric bicycles also, as I would see it. The most basic bikes that don't offer torque detecting pedal help, LCD show readouts or edge directed links might act naturally serviceable or expendable given their lower value point. However, the more reason manufactured offerings genuinely advantage from that expert touch and as a rule have bolted computers with unique demonstrative instruments much like cars.

Any end considerations?

I think electric bicycles are astounding because they complement the human body and brain while interfacing us with others.

#ebike conversion #electric bike #electric bicycle conversion kit

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djsamaha-blog · 7 years ago

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How to Drive More 10X More E-commerce Sales With a $0 Marketing Budget

The global e-commerce market is massive and continually expanding.

With over 50% of Americans preferring to shop online, it’s one of the best markets to tap into for online business growth.

More and more people are spending money with online stores rather than visiting brick-and-mortar stores.

In fact, 67% of millennials and 56% of Gen Xers prefer to shop online over visiting a store in person.

The buying frequency online is pretty high too, with 95% of Americans shopping online at least once every year and 5% shopping daily.

That’s 16,155,000 people buying items online every single day in America alone. And you can get a piece of that profit.

But with all this good news, there has to be bad news, too.

E-commerce is a valuable market to tap into, meaning that there are copious numbers of competitors trying to land the same customers as you.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to drive e-commerce sales, especially without a large marketing and advertising budget.

The competition is too stiff. There are too many stores and marketplaces.

You need those sales if you want to keep your business alive. But they aren’t easy to land.

Thankfully, there are a few ways you can drive more e-commerce sales without spending any money.

Here’s how you can drive 10x more sales.

Use Pinterest to drive sales

Use Pinterest to drive more e-commerce store sales? Is this a joke?

While that subheader statement might seem strange to many, Pinterest is actually an incredible platform for driving sales, especially for e-commerce products.

E-commcerce brands such as Wall Needs Love has leveraged Pinterest to drive 94% of their social media traffic. Even I have used it to drive 328% more sales for one of my e-commerce clients using their newest feature, Buyable Pins.

A few months back, I was trying to help a B2C store scale the e-commerce portion of their business.

My goal was to increase sales by 200% in just six months.

Even for someone like me with decades of experience in online marketing, I admit that it sounds like a bit of a stretch.

200%? When I set that goal, I thought I might be out of my mind. But I wanted to grow sales quickly and prove that it could work for e-commerce businesses.

Quickly, I noticed an untapped market with amazing potential. Plus, I already had experience on it!

Within just a few months, I nearly doubled my sales goal.

How? I used Pinterest’s Buyable Pins.

Buyable Pins are a revolutionary addition to Pinterest that takes this website to new levels when it comes to driving sales.

These pins allow users on the site to buy your products directly on Pinterest without ever needing to leave.

It’s essentially a diverse integration where people can search and buy directly on Pinterest.

Buyable Pins work flawlessly on mobile, too.

And the good news is that it’s free to set up Buyable Pins.

So, why should you care about Pinterest? After all, isn’t it just a bunch of pretty pictures? Let’s look at some data.

Currently, the Pinterest user base is still mostly female, but more males are starting to pick up the platform:

While more women use it than men, the age range is wide. People of all ages use it, from teenagers to retirees.

And the male user base on Pinterest has actually grown 120% in the last year alone.

On top of that, the income levels of users on Pinterest are equally spread out:

And that’s not all.

87% of people on Pinterest who have pinned a product made a purchase. 93% of pinners have used it to plan for future purchases, too.

It’s a machine when it comes to buying. Pinterest allows users to plan out their purchases by seeing visuals of items before they buy and imagining how they could benefit from them.

This creates an ideal platform where users can explore your product.

So, how do you use Buyable Pins to purchase items on Pinterest?

Well, Buyable Pins appear everywhere on Pinterest. If you conduct a simple, product-based search, you can select the Buyable Pins section on the menu:

This will sort out all of the Buyable Pin-based products on Pinterest for you to browse.

When you’re ready to buy, just click “Add to bag” on a given pin to add it to your cart:

Next, head to your bag and initiate the checkout process:

From here, you don’t even have to leave the site to make your purchase, which makes the process seamless.

After you purchase, you can get directed right back to your browsing.

To get started with these Buyable Pins, you need to have one of the following site integrations:

Each of these e-commerce sites has its own setup guide for Buyable Pins. It only takes a few minutes to link your store.

Here are the individual setup guides to follow depending on which site you use:

Pinterest can drive tons of sales for your business.

I used it to increase sales for a B2C site by 328% with just a few months of work.

Put your products up on Pinterest as Buyable Pins and watch the easy sales come in fast.

Add more checkout options

One of the most frustrating aspects of many e-commerce sites today is the lack of checkout options.

Just the other week, I was browsing flower shops on my mobile device because I wanted to order a bouquet or arrangement for a family friend.

I found an awesome site and saw the product I wanted to buy.

I added it to my cart, went to create a guest account, and then started the checkout process.

But, when I got there, I could only pay with a credit card. On top of that, there were only two credit card options: Visa and American Express.

Being in a public setting on my phone, I didn’t really want to go through the hassle of taking out my credit card.

That seemed unsafe and risky in today’s world, where people seem to steal credit cards every day.

With all of this in mind, I didn’t end up purchasing.

That small factor kept me from making a big purchase on their site.

So, what can you do about it? Well, PayPal found that simply adding their transaction ability to your site can have a 70% higher checkout conversion rate.

That means you’ll see fewer cart abandonment issues. Why?

PayPal is fast and secure, and it doesn’t require someone to type in their long credit card number.

In that same study, 24% of online shoppers abandoned their carts and transactions just before purchasing due to one factor:

A lack of diverse checkout options for payment.

That’s especially a problem in a public setting.

For example, take a look at this checkout page from AllPosters:

They offer almost every single checkout option you can think of.

You can even pay by phone and mail!

More than likely, if someone is bouncing from AllPosters during the checkout process, it’s not due to a lack of checkout options.

E-commerce sales are tough to come by. Once you’ve got a user ready to purchase, you need to make sure that they have all the tools necessary to do it.

Even a small, free tweak of including more options can help you close more sales.

Send cart abandonment emails

When someone lands on your e-commerce site and adds a product to their cart, chances are, they won’t buy immediately.

In fact, they will more than likely abandon it.

According to the latest data, the global average cart abandonment rate is nearly 80%.

People on mobile phones abandon their carts at the highest rate.

You did all of that work to drive traffic, but they just didn’t convert despite showing high levels of interest.

Now what?

What’s your game plan? What’s your plan of action?

If you aren’t using cart abandonment emails regularly, you risk losing tons of sales.

By implementing them, you can increase your sales instantly.

People simply forget.

I honestly couldn’t count the number of times I added something to my cart, forgot, and then received an email to remind me about the products I selected.

And more often than not, I returned to purchase it.

That’s the case with most people, too. According to InboxArmy, 75% of people leave with the intent to return:

On top of that, up to 60% of cart abandonment emails can result in a sale.

You can bring customers back and increase your sales fast with relatively no effort and without spending any extra money.

It’s that easy.

So, how do you get started?

With Shopify, there are a few different ways to send cart abandonment emails.

First, you can go to your dashboard and select the “Abandoned checkouts” section under “Orders:”

Here, you can see all of the orders that shoppers didn’t complete.

If you only have a few and want to manually send them an email, simply click on each one and draft a new email:

If you prefer to automate this process (which is highly recommended) so that it always sends out emails, you can head over to your checkout settings on your admin page.

From here, select the “Order processing” settings:

Next, choose how long you want the software to wait before sending a customer a reminder email to complete their order.

All you’ve got to do now is click save, customize the abandoned checkout email template, and your process is now on autopilot.

Sit back and watch your e-commerce sales increase fast.

Upsell to repeat customers

You’ve probably heard the age-old saying, “It’s much easier to sell to an existing customer than acquire a new one.”

Well, it’s true. Think about it:

To acquire a new customer, you need to take them through the entire buyer’s journey.

You need to get their attention with brand-awareness ads, build their trust with free offers, and then remarket to them multiple times before they finally convert.

It’s safe to say that it’s expensive.

But when you have existing customers, you’ve got their email addresses already.

You don’t need to waste money on remarketing ads or free offers because they’re already brand-aware.

You can simply send them an upsell email to drive sales to customers who already know your brand and love your product.

They’ve bought from you multiple times. That tells you an important factor about your customer relationship:

They enjoy purchasing your product.

It won’t be difficult to double your sales with a simple email upsell.

You want them to buy something more expensive from your list of products.

Here’s how to do it.

First, you need to identify your best customers. If you run an e-commerce store with Shopify, it’s easy to find your repeat customers.

Head to your dashboard and navigate to the “Customers” section on your left-hand menu:

From here, scroll down to the customer report section and locate your returning and loyal customers:

Returning customers are the customers who’ve bought from you more than once.

Loyal customers are the customers who have purchased from you the most.

Click on each list to see a history of their names, email addresses, and spending amounts:

With this data, you can easily take their emails and send them new upsells.

Simply hit “Export” to download the email list:

Take those emails and craft a new upsell-based email for new products.

These customers have bought from you multiple times, meaning that they more than likely will buy from you again.

A simple task like this will only take you 5-10 minutes, and you won’t have to spend any money on ads.

Use your best customer base to drive even more e-commerce sales with a $0 budget.

Set up an Instagram storefront

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms on the market right now.

It’s especially effective when it comes to selling products that are based on e-commerce and that are visually appealing.

Currently, Instagram has nearly 1 billion monthly users:

It’s one of the fastest growing social networks in existence, and it boasts a fan base that loves to follow brands.

According to Instagram, 80% of accounts on their platform follow a business. To add to that, 75% of Instagram users take action after being inspired by a post.

Tons of users are discovering new products on Instagram, making it one of the most natural places to drive free organic sales.

You don’t have to spend a dime on Instagram to see sales come in.

With one feature from Instagram, people can shop the exact looks you display on social media.

For example, take a look at the Pura Vida Bracelets Instagram page:

From their page, you can click the link in their bio to directly shop each specific look.

Click that link, and you’ll land on their Instagram storefront:

You can see each Instagram post they’ve made with the exact product they sell, giving users a perfect picture of how they can use it.

If you click on an image, you bring up more details, including each product and how much it costs:

These storefronts are great for driving sales directly from Instagram without spending money on advertising.

If you want to get started today, you can easily find integrations and plugins for most e-commerce platforms.

For example, Shopify offers a free plugin called Instagram shop by Snapppt:

You can quickly integrate your social accounts and start to drive sales using Instagram storefronts fast.

The plugin will dynamically pull your Instagram feed and allow you to customize each picture on your site to include products and pricing data:

It only takes a few minutes to set up and it can help you take advantage of the social traction that your business is getting.

If you want to quickly increase your e-commerce sales, make it that much easier for someone to purchase your products via social media.

Conclusion

E-commerce has taken off in the last decade.

More than ever, people find themselves shopping online rather than visiting the local stores they once frequented.

E-commerce is quickly dominating the changing landscape.

In fact, over 50% of Americans prefer to do their shopping online rather than visit a brick-and-mortar store.

Nearly 70% of millennials and 56% of Gen Xers also prefer to shop online.

It’s safe to say that e-commerce is the place to be if you’ve got a solid product.

But that’s also bad news. Why? Whenever a market becomes popular, everybody wants a piece of it.

That means one bad thing for every e-commerce store:

More competition.

And more competition means higher levels of difficulty for landing sales.

You’re competing with thousands of stores in your industry for the same audience.

On top of that, you’ve got no budget to spend on marketing and advertising to drive visits to your store.

So, how do you drive sales without a budget?

Start by taking advantage of Pinterest. It’s a huge market with tons of potential. Buyable Pins are great for making easy sales.

Consider adding more checkout options, like PayPal, to your e-commerce site. More checkout options will increase your conversion rate without spending a dime.

Cart abandonment emails should be your bread-and-butter. They can easily regain sales that were almost closed.

Try upselling repeat customers. They are much more likely to buy from you, plus it costs you nothing to email them.

Lastly, try setting up an Instagram-based storefront to drive tons of sales with visual content.

E-commerce without a budget is difficult, but it’s possible. You can still drive tons of sales without a budget.

What are your favorite ways to get more e-commerce sales without spending money?

http://www.successwize.com/how-to-drive-more-10x-more-e-commerce-sales-with-a-0-marketing-budget/

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