#core principles

[babyspacebatclone]

This is important, so I wanted to spin this off into a new post to discuss.

@glorioustidalwavedefendor sent me a very good article about a former RBT (registered behavioral therapist) about how he thought he was doing “good” with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), until…

(please do pay attention to the trigger warnings in the article, they are there for a reason)

The issue with ABA, in my opinion, can be really summed up by the first point in the previous Code of Ethics for the Behavior Analysts Certification Board for the USA:

1.01 Reliance on Scientific Knowledge

Behavior analysts rely on professionally derived knowledge based in science and behavior analysis when making scientific or professional judgments in human service provisions, or when engaging in scholarly or professional endeavors.

Not “Do no harm.” Not “we consider the needs and vulnerabilities of our clients.” Not even “Benefit Others,” which is the first principle in the first section of the current Code of Ethics, “Core Principles.”

The Code of Ethics is focused on the fact that ABA is about science, they are scientific, and therefore they are right.

Despite the mounting evidence of the empirical data they blatantly ignore (e.g. visible signs of trauma in clients) because it does not fit into their own specific definition of “important.”

The issue with ABA is the philosophy that is taught to analysts, reinforced and hammered in until it is accepted: We are doing good, and therefore we do not need to be questioned.

Anyone who stops believing in this, stops being a behavior analyst, simple as that.

The Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts, copyright 2014 and in effect from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2022:

Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, copyright 2020 and in effect as of January 1, 2022

[financia012]

5 Core Principles for a Meaningful Life

Daily writing promptWhat principles define how you live?View all responses In today’s fast-paced world, it’s crucial to have a set of guiding principles that keep you grounded and aligned with your goals. These principles shape your actions, decisions, and ultimately, your life. Let me share the five core principles that define how I live and how they impact my journey toward personal growth and…

[sasquapossum]

I've been thinking about "core principles" a bit lately. I think I'll write a set of posts about my own, of which there are four.

Live and let live

Proportional response

Follow the facts

Share the spotlight

There's kind of a fifth - karma is real - but that's more of an observation than a guidelines. Besides, I've written about it before, and four "pillars" seems to be a good number. Worked for the Buddhists, anyway. I'm still wordsmithing these in my head, but I'll use a special tag and come back to link things together as I do each piece. Stay tuned.

[izzieislandheart]

(Continued...) We're not on Tumblr to look at random posts a program thinks might make us spend more time looking at posts, long enough to even stumble across and interact with a sponsored post or something put up by a brand. We're on Tumblr to share interests with like-minded PEOPLE and to - yes - CURATE our experience. If I want to look at '57 Chevys and not look at '57 Fords, then I want to be able to goddamn tweak my settings to do that, and not have a program go, "You like old cars? Here's an Oldsmobile! You like '50s? How about this post about Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight"?" Those things are all perfectly fine in their own right, hell, sometimes even awesome, but leave it to us to DECIDE TO LOOK FOR IT. Having to curate our own experience, to be thoughtful, to learn how tags and reblogs work, to create communities through shared tags or to learn ways to filter our experience through keywords the community decides mean one thing and exclude another are intentional. You need INTENTIONAL users to keep a site growing and thriving; zombies scrolling a feed will send you right down the same enshittification spiral everyone else has gone down. And for gods' sakes, if you're that worried about losing money because a payment processor or advertiser drops you because of porn on the main, talk to any of the existing porn services out there, or even just creep their services to find out how they work! Yeah, overhead tends to be higher, and options are more limited, but it gives you a place to start. Then, at the same time, start pushing for changes to legislation to remove FOSTA-SESTA and restrengthen Section 230 protections. Engage with sex workers and their affiliated groups to learn how to actually prevent abuse and protect users on your site. Make it clear that you're about free speech and with that also comes the hard work of responsibility on all parties - which, again, means also CURATING our own experiences, so we can use filters and tags to not see adult content or not use those things if we do want to see it or don't care if we see it. No more platforms and websites engineered to manipulate people through machine-driven practices and content. I've already left all of the others except Mastodon and I never signed up for Threads because one hour of research told me I don't want to go anywhere near it. This particular Tumblr account I'm using is relatively new, but I've had experience with Tumblr from nearly the beginning. I left when "adult content restrictions" (the porn ban) were put in place, because that not only directly impacted me as an artist who sometimes draws tits, but because it also impacted me as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it impacted friends I have in the sex work community, and it was - in general - a gross insult to the community at large. I came back - reluctantly, at first - when I left Twitter months ago because I was running out of places to land and still interact with fellow artists. I've been grudgingly tolerating the incoherent stance on adult content here and new additions that push people to spend money and act like influencers. I absolutely won't tolerate the focus shifting entirely to removing a thoughtful user experience and replacing it with algorithm-driven "growth" drives.

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[worldwatcher3072]

Constitution Matters: Understanding the First Amendment and Its Essential Protections

Welcome to the "Constitution Matters" series, where we explore the significance of the United States Constitution and its enduring relevance in our lives. In this installment, we delve into the First Amendment, a cornerstone of our democratic society that guarantees crucial freedoms and protections to every citizen. Let's take a closer look at the scope and importance of this constitutional amendment.

The First Amendment: Protecting Our Fundamental Freedoms

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution stands as a testament to the values upon which our nation was built: freedom of speech, religion, the press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition the government. These five fundamental freedoms collectively form the bedrock of our democratic society, ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to express themselves, participate in public discourse, and hold those in power accountable.

Freedom of Speech: The Power of Expression

At the heart of the First Amendment lies the freedom of speech. This precious right empowers individuals to speak their minds, express their beliefs, and share their ideas without fear of censorship or reprisal. It encompasses a wide range of speech, from political debates to artistic expressions, from peaceful protests to critical discussions. The freedom of speech encourages robust public discourse, fosters innovation, and facilitates progress by allowing the clash of diverse viewpoints and ideas.

Freedom of Religion: Protecting Our Spiritual Autonomy

The First Amendment's protection of religious freedom ensures that every individual has the right to practice their chosen religion or follow no religion at all. It prohibits the government from establishing an official religion and ensures that individuals are free to worship according to their conscience. This guarantee of religious freedom promotes diversity, tolerance, and mutual respect, creating a society that embraces different faiths and beliefs.

Freedom of the Press: A Watchdog for Democracy

The freedom of the press is a vital component of a thriving democracy. It empowers journalists and media organizations to serve as watchdogs, holding those in power accountable and informing the public. A free press plays a crucial role in uncovering truths, exposing wrongdoing, and facilitating an informed citizenry. By protecting the freedom of the press, the First Amendment safeguards our access to information and helps preserve the checks and balances necessary for a healthy democracy.

Right to Peacefully Assemble: Amplifying Voices, Sparking Change

The right to peacefully assemble allows individuals to come together, united by a common cause or shared concerns. Peaceful protests, rallies, and public meetings enable citizens to exercise their collective voice, advocate for social change, and seek redress from the government. This aspect of the First Amendment underscores the significance of civic engagement and highlights the power of unity in shaping a more just and equitable society.

Right to Petition the Government: A Voice for Change

The right to petition the government ensures that every citizen has the opportunity to address grievances, express concerns, and seek resolution. It provides a means to communicate with public officials, voice opinions, and participate in the democratic process. By guaranteeing this right, the First Amendment affirms that the government should be responsive to the needs and aspirations of its people.

Embracing the First Amendment's Promise

The First Amendment's scope extends beyond mere words on paper; it embodies the spirit of liberty, fostering an environment where diverse perspectives can flourish, where ideas can be debated openly, and where progress can be achieved through the exchange of thoughts and beliefs. It empowers individuals to challenge the status quo, to question authority, and to contribute to the shaping of a more inclusive and just society. As we navigate the complexities of the modern world, let us remember the profound importance of the First Amendment and actively uphold these freedoms, for they are not only our birthright but the essence of our democratic ideals. By embracing the promise of the First Amendment, we can ensure that our nation continues to be a beacon of freedom, opportunity, and progress for generations to come. Constitution matters, and the First Amendment remains a guiding light on our collective journey toward a more perfect union

[bristolchurch]

Navigating the Worship Wave without Losing the Word

There’s no denying that today’s Christians are helping the Church mature by offering fresh methods of worship, but it’s important to weigh any potential impact these developments may have on the Bible’s doctrinal integrity. There’s a danger that in the transition from more traditional to more contemporary forms of Christian Music and worship—forms that emphasise things like music, technology, and…

[flamingpudding]

*hisssss* My comfort human!

Nightwing stared, he turned his head staring at Zatanna in a way that clearly spelled the question: Are you seeing what I am seeing?

Zatanna only gave him a shrug with a smile before focusing back on the meeting, leaving Nightwing to turn back and stare. He wasn't the only hero in the room with that reaction. There were a couple others too that reacted similarly. Only Batman appeared to be able to hold his pokerface.

Right before them was Constantine trying to explain to them all how their goverment basically fucked them over, while a 'ghost' teen was clinging to the man's shoulders glaring and hissing at them all. Worst of all Constantine was acting like the kid wasn't even there. Like there was no a white haired, black and white dressed teen hugging the man around his shoulders while glaring at them with glowing Lazarus green eyes.

"Uhm John? What's with the kid?" Green Lantern finally asked interrupting another one of the magicans rants about how screwed they were to which the Brite only glared at the hero.

"Ignore him."

"But..."

"IGNORE him."

"Maybe we should remove the child from this meeting before we continue?" Superman offered good naturally and Constantine looked pretty much done with them all, Nightwing noted. The blond waved with his hand as if telling them to 'go on try it'.

The heroes exchanged glances. Before Superman moved forward reaching out to remove the teen....

...and promptly got bitten. Nightwings eyes widened as he noticed the teen actually broke kryptonian skin!

The teen then proceeded to hiss at them while clutching onto Constantine protectively. The magican only let out a suffering sigh and muttered something about never touching a core again.

"My comfort human! Get your own!"

[bruciemilf]

Re: your most recent ask YESSS SAY UT LOUDER!!!!!!!! BRUCE LITERALLY STOOD BY HIS PARENTS MURDERER'S BEDSIDE WHILE HE DIED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE WHO WOULD!!!!! BATMANS COMPASSION AND EMPATHY IS SUPPOSED TO DEFY BELIEF, ITS SUPPOSED TO BE BEYOND COMPREHENSION!!!!! HE IS THE LODESTONE FOR EVERY ROBIN, THEIR GROUNDING FORCE, THEIR MORAL TRUE NORTH!!!!!

Yeah!!! To me, Bruce is not moral creature. He’s a virtuous creature

[honey-intherock]

My deepest, most sincerely held hope for season 2 is that it turns out Qimir isn't Sith or Jedi, can't stand either one of them, is sick of everybody's nonsense, and he and Osha found the Intergalactic Church of Fuck All Y'all

[crippleculture]

cripplepunk isnt for able-bodied people and its also not for people who lick able-bodied people's boots

[screebyy]

[itty-bitty-sunshine]

Love slowly but surely becoming the odd one out in my circle for not using chat gpt even though it would "make my life so much easier and i could spend less time revising stuff" /neg

[lemonwrap]

Thinking about Ghostsoap but with Ellie’s “Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me. Everyone—fucking except for you!”

[genericpuff]

yeah hi excuse me @staff / @humans-

absolutely not

absolutely fucking not

idk if i have the clearance to say "on behalf of everyone" but this ain't it and i shouldn't even have to be the one to tell you that

[clintbartoncore]

unstoppable force (clint flirting on comms) vs immovable object (coulson’s consummate professionalism)

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Interesting of Oliver not to mention romantic relationships!! Work, family relationships or friend relationships but not romantic!! 👀👀👀

Not Bucks biological child but it hits him hard you say Oliver!!! I see you! We are going hard on the implications of step parent level relationship right there - he’s literally just said it’s not my biological child but he’s as good as - he is my son and I am coparenting him.

Started off in a good place wearing Rose tinted glasses! Choices are being made!!! Honestly the way he talks about bt in all these interviews is very telling - everything is framed around it being surface level and as soon as it starts to scratch beyond the surface issues/ hurdles/ problems/ challenges/ baggage gets used in conjunction with talking about uncomfortable truths and pasts. And the repeated use of the word if. If they want to.. if they can… if it’s worth it… walking away, possible relationship. None of that is framed in a positive way - it’s all said in a way that reads as it’s not worth it that walking away is what will happen. The subtext is so telling here!