#communication skills in 2024

[toptips]

Top 2024 Tips for Personal & Professional Growth

[theacecouple]

For the first time in history, we are pleased to announce that the state of Kansas is formally recognizing Ace Week!!!

[painted-doe]

Back in 2016, we adopted a system in our house for discussing distressing political news that I highly recommend. We basically use the traffic light consent system to check in with each other’s mental state before we bring up a news topic.

Me: (just saw a news story that I am dying to share) “How’s your traffic light for politics right now?”

Red: Nope, can’t take any political discussion right now, but maybe we can talk about it later. (Red usually also gets you a hug and a kiss and a check-in on your stress levels.)

Yellow: Go ahead if it’s minor political news. Maybe hold back if it’s very distressing or about something hateful. I may want you to shut things down if it’s too depressing or infuriating, but I will communicate if it gets that bad.

Green: *stuffing popcorn in mouth* Sure, hit me, what has that bastard done now?

This system has saved us both much frustration with each other. It makes it easy to gently shut a conversation down without making anyone feel rejected or overwhelmed because you both understood each other’s limits and desires going into the conversation.

You can also adopt it for other topics that cause you anxiety, like family drama. And it’s extremely useful for setting boundaries with neurodivergent loved ones who may not pick up on social cues as easily as others.

I hope it helps someone out there protect their peace!

[astarless-fights]

For those on tumblr not in the know, Mark Zuckerberg lobbied the United States Congress to ban Tiktok from the United States after proving difficulty to overcome the loss of users to Tiktok. Through gifts and stocks, the House Energy and Commerce Committee successfully banned Tiktok. It needs to be very clear to those who have not been able to pay attention: The Committee interviewed Tiktok's CEO with questions that did not relate to Tiktok but instead to META. This precedent is very alarming. What is fine for one, is not the other- even if the other isn't participating.

Some key points:

Tiktok stores (stored, depending on what day you see this) all United States data on US soil in Texas and gives backdoor entry to the NSA. - This is important for the United States to check for the bad people on all platforms.

Listed members on the committee asked questions of activities Tiktok does not participate in but all of META does. Giving us immediate confirmation our government is fine with domestic platforms selling our data without consent.

An incredibly concerning detail showed its face while this was going down. All META platforms have access to every device's data using the same WIFI you connect to and they use that data.

META has given me the urge to puke for several years but last year was a moment of true question of how I move forward in a world that already seemingly has my data, even if I did not consent to the passing around of it.

When META decided to include AI in their system after investors seemed to require everyone to do so, the question of safety crossed my mind. META had announced the platforms were using everything you produce and have produced (posts, videos, photos) to not just train their own AI system, but they were also sending your information to a 3rd party as well. This included a setting toggle for consent that was default ON.

When the masses found out and toggled it off, META redesigned the Settings page to make it harder for you to find the consent option. They also made it so it wasn't just a "toggle" but now you had to write to them.

When the masses found out again (because we don't want this) how to get there, they redesigned the settings page again, hid the consent deeper, and required you to write to them with proof they even used your information... So that you can consent or not to consent to use their information.

I have been on this app since 2008 and relied heavily on this website when I was 14 while trying to escape the all seeing eyes I was friends with on Facebook. During this, tumblr became an amazing news resource for bills about to pass that endangered every bit of what the internet is known for: free speech and free of choice.

Back then, this site was all I had. I worshipped Tumblr for giving me emotional outlets and outside opinions during a very rough and miserable transition as a teen. So when Tumblr shared Bills trying to regulate our internet that would prevent reaching sites like Tumblr, I campaigned to my 150 student school and the two 1000 student public schools near me to reach out to our representatives, especially those 18 year olds waiting for a new horizon. With this, our representative and our governor in South Carolina, reached out to us at the time, letting us know they didn't realize how loved these spaces were and that they needed protecting. Communicating knowledge is powerful.

Having sites like Tumblr and Reddit circulate incoming bills like this was required to know about it. No one on Facebook saw any of that coming and they definitely won’t find out now with Zuckerberg making sure of it.

I have always seen the importance of internet regulation but for whatever reason (propaganda pushing) the People who work for us (reps, congress, the house, the committees) always wanted to pass bills that prevented people from talking and accessing new information.

The Tiktok ban passed by our government is not a good sign for anyone who uses the internet. The total amount of Americans who use this app to create community, careers, businesses, market their art, is at 102.3 million. That's a shit ton of businesses and communities that just end on the 19th of January.

And you might think, well why wouldn't they backup to another platform and I am sure many will, but Tiktok has such a unique algorithm that actually pushes businesses into the limelight and because of that, there is a massive community there that uplifts businesses that are falling behind. Currently, there is no other algorithm on US soil that compares to just how much it uplifts accounts that don't do well starting out. We lost so many creators after Vine because no other app could translate the humor and creativity. It's going to be a bigger loss after Tiktok goes because of that same issue.

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If they are willing to ban a site that is very minimally connected to China, an incredibly huge resource for Americans for everything and anything and all for an increase in paycheck, what else will they be banning in the future when money is waved in their faces by one entity? They already went for one where the American people are heavily reliant on and one that is supposed to be protected under free speech and free of choice. If META wants something dead, give it a year, and it will die.

The Internet and social platforms have always been protected by free speech and freedom of choice. But these aspects have also been on the chopping block since the wild wild west of internet. I fear, this will not stop with just Tiktok.

[lefthookofficial]

Piggybacking off my last post, the fact that this whole convo exists is wild.

Especially because… well the reasons are pretty obvious, I think.

Like, “I like these guys but they should keep their mouths shut when their livelihoods are threatened because speaking their minds might make some people feel bad 😢”. As if content creators are just machines that dispense entertainment.

If you think blatantly hateful rhetoric is “just another point of view”, you have no business in this fan community. Just leave, you won’t be missed.

For the life of me I can’t imagine being a fan of such a diverse and inclusive group while also having absolutely no problem with bigotry and people who support it.

As a certain highly toxic ex-Piplup might say…

“That’s EMBARRASSING!!”

[airenyah]

@secriden you don't know the feeling of getting these tags into my notifs after feeling like i've been the sole public defender of dunk's acting for the past year and a half (and that's only counting the time i started being more vocal about it online, i've been defending him in my mind since 2022 actually)

truly TRULY love the energy you bring!!!!! join me!!!!!

DUNK IS A GOOD FUCKING ACTOR AND HAS BEEN FROM THE START. EVERYONE WAS JUST UNNECESSARILY MEAN

[dicediceking]

Day 7 + 8: Passport + Hike

Yeah I know Passport looks more like a license or ID but idc

I've been reading Thinking Skills and I'm obsessed! We've just met Desire!! I love her (no spoilers, I'm like 2 chapts away from finishing) I don't know if she has like a canon design by her creator, I just used mine but slightly different

Hike is kinda lazy but I'm very tired......

I think i might just commit to the 2 prompts every other day, since that's what I've been doing

[age-of-moonknight]

“The Killing of Moon Knight,” Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 2/2024), #9.

Writer: Jed MacKay; Penciler and Inker: Devmalya Pramanik; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[the-river-rix]

Zach Addy Bones is not for the weak

[tomatotales]

There is some discourse on if the trouple would make things worse and yeah I think so but what if i want them worse

[gleefulpoppet]

A New Year's Gift for You!

This is a "game" I created for one of my stories that I wanted to share with everyone! You can print the cards (detailed instructions included) or use the questions digitally! Please feel free to make copies or share the file with whoever you'd like. Wishing you the best in the New Year! ⭐💖

You can download it from my box account (copy and paste the link) I didn't want anyone to think they were about to get rickrolled 😍 https://app.box.com/s/yle14qfh88rbm6bbik89qsd1tniziz6s

[chaztalk]

A Story About a Grandpa and Grandma Who Returned Back to Their Youth

Studio: Gekkou (Temple)

Summary: Ine and Shouzou, two pensioners well into their 80s, are mysteriously returned to their 20s one night.

Hey! Tonbu

Studio: OLM (The Apothecary Diaries)

Summary: The story begins with Igarashi, who was disqualified as a pro golfer after a certain "incident" and thus moves to Kagoshima Prefecture's Tokara Islands to step out of the limelight. On these islands known as "Japan's last unexplored wilderness," he encounters a naive girl named Tonbo. As it turns out, these supposedly unexplored islands have a homemade golf course, where Tonbo plays every day. She demonstrates genius-level prowess, playing every kind of shot with just one golf club, a 3-iron. Igarashi is amazed at Tonbo's talent, even as he harbors doubts about her only using a 3-iron. Yet, hidden deep in Tonbo's heart lies a painful, sad past...

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World

Studio: Studio Mother (More Than a Married Coupl, But not Lovers.)

Summary: After thirty-five years of perfectly ordinary life, a run-of-the-mill businessman suddenly drops dead…only to be reborn in another world! Now he must live as Ars Louvent, scion of a minor noble family and wielder of a fabulous skill: Appraisal, the power to perceive the strengths and abilities of others at a glance. He’ll need it, too, because there are plenty of problems to solve in the Louvent family’s territory! Ars only has one choice: recruit the most talented individuals his skill can find, and rise up to new heights in his brand new world!

Wind Breaker

Studio: CloverWorks (Spy x Family)

Summary: Haruka Sakura wants nothing to do with weaklings—he's only interested in the strongest of the strong. He’s just started at Furin High School, a school of degenerates known only for their brawling strength—strength they use to protect their town from anyone who wishes it ill. But Haruka’s not interested in being a hero or being part of any sort of team—he just wants to fight his way to the top!

Whisper Me a Love Song

Studio: Yokohama Animation Lab, Cloud Hearts

Summary: Bubbly, energetic first-year high school student Himari falls head over heels for her senpai Yori after hearing her band perform on the first day of school. Himari tells Yori she just loves her, and, to Himari’s surprise, Yori says she loves Himari back! But when Himari realizes that she and her senpai are feeling two different kinds of love, she begins to ask herself what “love” really means…

[mxxnlightwriting]

Writemas 2025 Day 16

Thanks to @agirlandherquill for hosting this wonderful event!

Tari’s Note: Here we have another late entry for this challenge, but better late than ever! It's getting harder to include these prompts into the story, so that's why these past couple of parts seem all over the place. Thank you for understanding! I have a masterlist for this challenge if you want to read this story from the beginning!

Prompt(s): The hiss of the wind Synopsis: Rae and Emily spend time at Rae's apartment as the furious wind takes over outside. Genre/age group: adult contemporary sapphic romance Word Count: 0.2k

Rae was keenly aware of how small her apartment was. Now that she had someone else here with her, she noticed how everything was perfectly fine for one person, but too little for two people.

"It's not the cabin," Rae said as Emily took in the space. "But it's something."

"It's very you."

What that was supposed to mean, Rae had no idea, but she decided not to dwell too much on it. She showed Emily her one-bedroom apartment and after they worked on something for dinner, they sat at Rae's kitchen table to enjoy their meal.

For a while, none of them said anything. Emily was still upset after her phone call with her sister, and Rae wasn't sure whether to bring it up or not. So, they ate in silence while the wind picked up speed outside, a couple of tree branches knocking on the windows.

"How do you sleep with this noise?" Emily asked, shivering. "I feel like I'd have nightmares with this noise."

Rae smiled as an old memory of Emily startled by the darkness popped into her head. "Still not a fan of the dark?"

"Nope. Does the power still go out often around here?"

"Occasionally." Rae smirked. "Usually, it goes out once a week, and it hasn't happened yet so... it might still happen."

"As long as I have my phone nearby, I'll be fine," Emily mumbled, focusing her attention on her dish.

Rae returned to her meal wishing that the power went out for a few hours tonight, if only to have an excuse to stay closer to Emily for longer.

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© mxxnlightwriting 2024 All Rights Reserved. Copying, reposting, translating and/or modifications of my work are strictly prohibited.

[mothsakura]

Curious by what you mean when u say UI "learned the hard way," did they try to bribe someone specific into being their friend, or just in general? 👀

Sort of both? They knew their council would often use bribery as a way for other councils to obey them (despite their council having only 40 individuals! That is so so tiny for a council! Their council was very controversial even before building UI). So really they tried to send over a few expensive items to their other neighbor, Chasing/Grey Wind (I hc that CW/GW was an unapproved model for quite some time, and after a while of finally waiting to be approved, there was a slight mix-up in the documents that never really got fixed. Basically due a loophole, they now have two variations of their name), in hopes of managing to befriend them too. CW/GW had sent the items back to UI, stating that unfortunately they do not need it. UI has taken this as CW/GW rejecting the idea of friendship (despite that not being the case, CW/GW really just didn't have any use for fancy expensive ancient masks and jewelry, unlike UI who likes to collect fancy things), and has learned that you cannot gain friends just by throwing expensive stuff at them! UI still wants to be friends with CW/GW, they are just trying to stay low and not talk to CW/GW in fear that their plan to gain a friend might fail.... poor thang..

[raffaellopalandri]

A good leader

Bloganuary writing promptWhat makes a good leader?View all responses Today’s prompt could be used as a main topic for a book, and it also represents one of the most frequent questions I am asked when I support a customer. So, as I take the idea for one of my future books, I will leave you here with a very condensed answer. Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com The Enduring Qualities of a…

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

my brain reacting towards video essays on tiktok or social issues which are anywhere between 30 mins to 90mins long: 😊 🫡🤔👌🏻🍷🍟 yaaaaaaay *enter various social analysis youtubers here* posted!!!!

my brain reacting to actually helpful videos like YT tutorials for office software such as excel or courses on linkedin learning: 😴😴😵😟😰😤☠️ i ain't no piece of corporate scum